


Blood Bonded

by neganscorner



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha - Freeform, F/M, beta, omega - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-03-24 21:07:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 62,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13819464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neganscorner/pseuds/neganscorner
Summary: You are an omega, Negan is an alpha and he has been waiting a long time to find you.





	1. Chapter 1

_Eenie meenie miney mo,_

_catch an omega by her toe,_

_if she squeals... take her home,_

_eenie meenie miney mo._

 

**Alpha:** A dominant male who is able to impregnate omegas. They have supernatural strength and are able to grow fangs and/or claws when enraged/aroused. Alphas have a knot when aroused, which is used to penetrate their mate and seed them between heat cycles. Alphas can bond with omegas by biting their necks and drinking their blood, this is an ability that allows the alpha to track down the omega if they run away. 

**Beta:** Subordinate to alphas, but higher ranking than omegas, betas may or may not be able to impregnate omegas depending on their genes. They have a normal human anatomy and possess no unique traits.

**Omega:** Lowest in the hierarchy, omegas tend to be submissive but only submit fully to their chosen alpha. In the apocalyptic world, they are rare and prized and alphas actively seek them out to possess and impregnate them. Omegas don't have supernatural strength, and have mostly human traits besides their heat cycles.

Bond: When an Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta, Beta/Beta form a relationship this is called bonding. 

Blood Bond: A unique bond between Alpha/Omega where they exchange blood, becoming tied to one another for life. This bond usually only happens between an Alpha/Omega who love each other unconditionally. But there are exceptions where an Alpha can blood bond with more than one Omega. The bond can only be severed through death.

Heat: A heat or heat cycles are when an Omega becomes most fertile, similar to a human period, Omega's hormones spike during this and attract Alphas/Betas. They can become aroused, clingy, angry during these cycles. An Omega's heat happens every two to three months, but doesn't always result in pregnancy. 

Rut: When an Alpha male is around an Omega in heat, they release pheromones and become aroused, similar to the Omega's heat. They can lose themselves in blood lust/rage and give into an inner 'beast' during this and can be dangerous to Omegas.

 

**\---**

 

**A/N:** Hello readers, thank you for stopping by to read this story. First thing's first, the A/B/O lore is taken from both fandom references and my own headcanons, so if you read something in this story that you haven't heard before then know that it's intentional. That being said, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. - Dani.


	2. Bold Beginnings

“They’re coming for us, for all of us.”

You felt a sudden pang of dread sink inside your stomach, it almost felt as if you’d swallowed a stone and it was weighing you down. Things had been going so well in Charming, you never thought you’d be able to lead a community, but you had succeeded in the short time you had been appointed the position after the last leader was publicly executed by none other than Negan himself.

“Why?” You turned to look at Cole, your right-hand woman and probably the only person you really trusted within these walls. “We’ve given him everything he asked for and more, he just takes and takes and takes until we have nothing left.”

Cole gulped as she looked at you, her coffee coloured eyes troubled as you both stood at the top of the mahogany balcony inside the old dance hall turned community hub of the town.

“That’s what they do, most of them anyway.” She shrugged.

“They?” You asked, tearing your gaze from the small group of laughing children who chased after one another much to the dismay of their mother’s.

“Alphas.” Cole said, the bitterness in her voice clear as day.

You stared at her for a short few seconds before looking back down at the people who had entrusted you to keep them safe from harm. You heard the rumours, but you’d never paid them much attention seeing as you never were the one to publicly deal with Negan. But now that things were changing again, you realised the depth of the danger that you could be putting yourself in. 

You were an omega. You knew it, Cole knew it – but nobody else did. It was a secret that you kept hidden for very good reason, omegas were a rare species now that the world had descended into chaos. 

They attracted trouble, their scent so unique that it was known to drive alphas insane with the need to breed. But you’d managed to disguise yourself with suppressants, capsules with homemade ingredients crushed inside them that you took three times a day. They didn’t work as well as the ones you used to buy from your dealer back before the dead began to walk, but they did their job when you needed them to.

There were no alphas in Charming, the community consisted mainly of women, children and men who didn’t bare the same affliction. But now that you knew Negan was determined to make life difficult, you could sense a storm brewing on the horizon.

“I won’t let them hurt us.” You told Cole and straightened your posture. “I can’t, not after everything we’ve been through. If Negan comes, I’ll handle it.”

“What the hell does that mean, Alice? We can’t fight them, we don’t have the weapons and we don’t have the manpower.” She snapped with bitterness.

You stayed silent, knowing she was right. You didn’t have the capabilities to fight off the Saviours, but you were good at negotiating and hoped for all of your sakes that Negan was in a good mood.

Hearing the loud roaring sound of trucks come from outside, your insides tensed as you turned to look at Cole who had fear painted on her face. They were here.

“Listen up, everyone.” You addressed the people, looking down on them and watching as they all fell quiet. “Stay here and lock the doors behind me, everything is fine and everything will continue to be fine after today. There’s no need to panic, the Saviours are not our enemy unless we make it that way.”

You eased the tension in the community hall, but felt panic twisting itself inside the pit of your stomach as you turned and headed for the staircase at the opposite side of the balcony. Heading down the steps, you made it to the ground floor and walked towards the large arched doors that led outside into the small town.

Cole followed closely behind you, not willing to let you talk with Negan alone and you were grateful.

“Handle this.” She told you as you opened the door and stepped outside into the sun. “Or I will.”

Glancing at the brunette, you narrowed your eyes and wondered just what that meant. But she brushed past you and headed outside. You quickly followed her and clinched your hands into fists as his whistle sang through the warm air.

“Finally, I was starting to think nobody was home.” Negan’s loud voice echoed as he stood outside the fifteen-foot-high gates that kept the town safe, his smirk spreading into a grin as he stared back at you through the steel bars. “It’s a good thing you girls showed your faces ‘cause I was about to have my men tear this shit down.”

You held your ground in the gravel and eyed the notorious leader carefully, feeling your heart quicken in your chest. The rumours were true. You knew an alpha when you came across one, and he was as potent as they came. His smell was unmistakeable, catching in the back of your throat and forcing you to cough before it clouded your mind too much.

“There’s no need for violence, we’re a peaceful people.” You told him, keeping your composure as best as you could. “We don’t want trouble.”

Negan stared at you for a long moment, amusement and curiosity dancing in his hazel eyes. It was the first time you’d really come face to face with him, and your stomach wound itself in knots at the dominance he oozed.

“I wish I could believe that, I really fucking do. But if that were the case, then you peaceful people would’ve provided me with what I asked for.” He muttered, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

“But. You. Didn’t. I guess killing your last leader didn’t do shit to stress the importance of what I’m trying to do here, I had the feeling that he was a fucking asshole but shit, not one of you people seemed to give a fuck when I cracked his skull open with Lucille. Maybe I should’ve picked someone innocent, that way you would’ve known not to piss me off. But today is a brand-new day and I am more than ready to spill some blood. Now, open the goddamn gate before I knock it down.”

Your knees felt hollow at his very real threat, but you couldn’t cower in the shadows this time. This was all up to you.

Doing as he asked, you headed for the gate and wasted no time in unlocking the bolts that held the steel in place. His eyes were fixed on you, watching you, judging you and it did nothing to ease the stress that clawed deep within you. Stepping back and out of the way once you’d made your community vulnerable to the Saviours, you glanced at Cole who looked as sick as you felt.

“You know, I like you more than I liked that last asshole.” Negan smirked and strolled behind you, a deep hum escaping him as he leaned in and breathed into your ear. “If you play your cards right today, then I might just let you do the honour of choosing who gets to die.”

His breath was hot on the back of your neck, making your skin prickle and your jaw clinch. Whipping around to face him, you glowered up at the alpha who simply stared at you like you were a child. There wasn’t a shred of him that was intimidated by you, instead he smirked.

“Nobody needs to die today, you can take whatever you want but leave my people alone. They’ve done nothing wrong, they don’t deserve this.” You told him, trying to elicit a shred of sympathy from him.

“My people.” He corrected you, the cold purr of his voice enough to let you know that begging wasn’t enough to get out of this. “They are my people, this is my town. I don’t want to kill another one of you sorry shits, but you refused to follow a direct order and refusing my orders is a big fucking no-no. This is the second chance I’ve given out, and the second leader that doesn’t know how to do their job.”

You stayed silent and dropped your gaze to the ground. You didn’t know what to say or do, you felt trapped.

“I’m sorry, I can fix this if you just give me a few more days.”

“Time has run out, sweetheart. Now, be a good girl and show me where the rest of this shit stained community is hiding.” He licked his tongue against his teeth, the wolfish grin he possessed making you sick to your stomach. “I wanna play a game.”

“No.” Shaking your head, you turned to look at Cole who shifted her weight uncomfortably. “I won’t see someone die for my mistakes, if you want to kill someone then kill me.”

You didn’t want to die, but you weren’t willing to let this Alpha kill an innocent person inside that hall. Turning to eye Negan again, you flinched when he stepped into your personal space. He towered over you, all six-foot-two of him and the glare he gave you was piercing. There was part of you that wanted to fall to your knees before him, but you shoved that primal desire aside and held your ground.

“Did you just say no to me?” He asked, his features hardening instantly. “What’s your name, girl?”

“Alice.” You told him, your heart beating in your chest so hard that you thought it might just break free.

“Alice, you are too fucking bold for my liking. You don’t get to choose who dies, I do. Do you know who I am, do you know what I am?” He asked you, his grip on Lucille tightening.

“I do, and I’m not afraid of you.” You lied, and he snorted.

“Oh, yes you fucking are.” Grabbing your throat with his free hand, the Alpha squeezed just enough to feel the pulse racing beneath his fingertips. “You’re a bad leader and an even worse liar, now listen carefully. You either take me to those fucking people or I’m gonna kill your friend over there.”

He smirked at you, though there was no humour in his eyes as he looked towards Cole. Licking his tongue into the corner of his lips, he blinked down at your face again and stroked his thumb against your chin.

“Your choice.”

“Fuck you.” You spat in his face, and yelped out when he backhanded you.

Tasting the blood in your mouth, you lifted your fingers to your lips and scowled up at him as he wiped the spit out of his salt and pepper stubble.

“Ah, this day just gets better and better. Simon!” Negan called out, turning to look at his right-hand man who walked forward with both hands on his belt. “Kill that girl over there.”

“Wait!” Cole gasped.

“No!” You shouted, quickly stepping in front of Simon as he reached for his gun. “Stop this, please. This doesn’t have to be this way! Negan, please.”

Negan stood tall and palmed his hand through his slick dark hair as he looked back at you with no emotion, you were convinced he had no heart.

“Make it quick, don’t let her suffer.” He instructed Simon.

“No!” You ran towards the man as he yanked his weapon free and slapped it from his hand, but were quickly yanked back by Negan.

He wrapped an arm around your waist and dragged you away with ease, his strength too much for you to fight against.

Tears pricked Cole’s eyes as she stared back at you and lifted a finger.

“She’s an omega!” She screamed in a desperate last-ditch attempt to save her own life.

Those words rattled through your bones and made you numb. The blood drained from your face as the brunette began to sob into her hands.

“Boss?” Simon turned to raise a brow at Negan, before he looked at you.

Negan was stunned into silence for a moment. He stared at Cole, wondering if he heard her right. It couldn’t be true, or could it?

“Hold on.” He grunted, his narrowed gaze finally finding your face again. But this time he didn’t look at you like you were the dirt on the bottom of his boot, instead he was intrigued.

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. Every fibre of your being felt like it was on fire.

“Is she telling the truth?” He asked, his voice deep and calm. “Are you an omega?”

You didn’t answer him and instead held your breath when he lifted a hand to your face, his long fingers gripping your chin firmly and tilting your head to the side as he leaned in close. His nose and stubble grazed the curve of your neck as he inhaled a deep breath, taking in your scent and letting it linger for a few seconds.

The suppressants were good, but they weren’t that good. There was a silence that fell over Charming for a minute, but it felt like an hour before he straightened his posture again.

“An omega leading a community of people, that is the most adorable shit I’ve ever heard of.” He smirked, his tone mocking as he looked you over. “How long have you been taking those suppressants, little girl? How long have you been hiding from me in this dump?”

You backed away from him, but he took another step in towards you. This was it, he was already trying to claim you.

“That’s none of your business.” You held your chin high and glared at him, trying your best to seem bold.

“Oh, you are my business.” He told you, never taking his eyes off you as he addressed his people. “Change of plans. Charming can have one more month to figure out how to come up with those supplies and one more month to find a real leader… this one is coming with me.”

You felt your stomach sink and took another step away from him, shaking your head definitely as you did so.

“No I’m not, Charming needs me here. They need my help.” You ground out, turning to glance at Cole who looked between you and Negan fearfully.

“You’re an omega, Alice. Playing leader for a few weeks doesn’t fucking make you one, it’s not in your genes to fill that role. You were born to follow and follow you most certainly fucking will.” He murmured. “You have other talents that need to be attended to, and I can’t wait to experience that shit first-hand.”

His words stung, he made you feel inferior and it didn’t sit well inside you.

“You won’t experience anything, I’m not interested in being yours.”

Negan leaned back on his heels then and laughed, but there was a sadistic glare in his eyes that scared you.

“You already are mine.” Strolling forward, the tall leader grabbed your arm and tugged you alongside him as he stormed towards the gates that led out of town. “If we’re lucky, we’ll make it back before sunset.”

You winced at how harsh his grip on you was, but you didn’t bother to fight against him. You weren’t getting out of this, no matter how hard you fought to stay with your people. Negan was an alpha and he wasn’t willing to let you slide through his fingertips.

“I’ll never let you have me, I’ll kill myself before you try anything.” You growled at him, stumbling through the gravel as he roughly pulled you towards one of the many trucks parked outside.

“We’ll see if you’re singing that same tune when you go into heat, those suppressants won’t last longer than a week.” He sighed, not phased by your threat one bit as he opened the truck door and let you inside.

Sitting back against the leather seat, you folded your arms and tensed when he climbed in after you and got behind the wheel. Slamming the door behind himself, he set his barbed bat on the space between the two of you and stared at you for a few seconds.

“It’s not healthy for an omega to go through life without a knot, it’s sad as shit and fucking dangerous too. Suppressants fuck up your natural cycle, they can make you sick as shit and kill you in the long run.” He told you as he started the engine. “And I’m not willing to let that shit happen, I’ve waited a long fucking time to find an omega and I’m not about to let you go now that I have you.”

Turning to look away from him, you stared out the window instead and clinched your jaw when he began to drive. You didn’t want to leave Charming, it had been your home for a long time now. You were safe there, and now your life hung in the balance. An alpha like Negan would be persistent, and you didn’t know if you could survive it. Only time would tell.


	3. Welcome Home

Mile after mile of vast green landscape passed you by as you sat looking idly out of the passenger’s side window of Negan’s truck. There was nothing out in this part of Virginia, only the remains of sporadic farmlands that had long since been abandoned after the apocalypse started. 

That and the odd walker that limped out of the overgrown grass fields and stumbled clumsily onto the road. Negan didn’t have any reservations of mowing them down, the sound of their rotted bones crunched beneath the wheels as he sped on towards his intended destination. You wondered who had the job of cleaning that up.

A line of cars and trucks followed closely behind, the Saviours right on his heels as always. They were as close to an army as you’d seen since the outbreak, loyal and as brutal as their leader. It wasn’t a democracy like Charming was, there were no other opinions that mattered more than Negan’s, that was a stone cold fact that hit you in the face when you met him.

“Shit, I’d get more conversation out of one of those dead fucks than I would you.” He finally broke the silence, his voice low and gravelled as he leaned in to fiddle with the radio, switching from station to station and only getting static in return. “You can talk, I won’t bite – unless you want me to.”

Rolling your eyes as he huffed out a deep chuckle, you propped your boot up onto the dashboard and glared at him.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Nothing? You’re not at least a little bit fucking curious about where I’m taking you?” He raised a brow, scepticism lingering in his hazel eyes as he looked at you. “I don’t believe that for one second, you’re too damn smart to not be thinking of something to say to me.”

You watched the road, abandoned car after car passing you by as he drove towards the oncoming bridge that led towards the opposite side of the city.

You didn’t have any interest in talking to him. Kidnapping you from the one town you’d managed to earn your place in for his own selfish desires put him as the number one asshole on your hate-list.

“Please, just take me home.” You sighed and shook your head.

“I am taking you home.” He told you. “You belong with an alpha who can set you straight, one that’ll make sure you don’t swallow those suppressants and one that’ll protect you. You were an oddball back in that shithole, those pricks weren’t fucking capable of taking care of you the way you’re supposed to be taken care of. You have needs, and sweetheart I am more than able to fulfil them.”

There was a smooth confidence in his deep voice that somehow settled the nerves that sloshed around inside your belly, and you knew it was the instinct within you that searched for a dominant to latch onto. The suppressants were supposed to dampen those feelings, and yet they were already creeping up on you like an uninvited guest. You didn’t want to want Negan, you didn’t need him or his damn knot. That’s what you had to tell yourself, you were stronger than your affliction.

“I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. I’m a big fucking girl, and I don’t need you or any other alpha telling me otherwise. You can’t just do this and get away with it. I’m not your damn slave!”

“If you were truly able to take care of yourself, then you wouldn’t be here right now. You’d be bonded with some other alpha in the middle of fucking nowhere living out your life, but you were too busy playing pretend and risking your fertility with those pills.” Narrowing his eyes at you, Negan studied you carefully. “You’re what, twenty-one… twenty-three at most… and you’re telling me you’ve never been fucking knotted? Not once?”

You glanced out of the window again and felt your cheeks burn with embarrassment, you didn’t want to discuss your sex life with Negan. Not that it mattered, he could smell it in your blood. All alphas could. They could smell age and purity, and you were as pure as they came. No alpha or beta had ever caught you, and it was something you were proud of.

“I don’t need it, I can live a normal life and I have that right.” You muttered.

You felt his hand on you then.

His long fingers slid against the fabric of your jeans and squeezed the inside of your thigh, eliciting a surprised gasp from the back of your throat. You flinched at the unexpected contact and felt a surge of warmth settle between your legs. Your body betrayed you in a single moment, and it angered you. Slapping his arm away with a defensive growl, you pulled your knees to your chest and glowered at the leader as he breathed in deeply.

“I don’t need it.” He mocked you and dropped his hand in his lap, adjusting himself in his seat with a low hum. “You’re a bad fucking liar, I knew you’d melt as soon as I touched you. Can’t blame you either, if I were an omega I’d be wet for me too.”

It happened in an instant. You saw red, the overstimulation too much for you to handle. Lunging forward, you grabbed hold of his barbed bat and yanked it up in an attempt to smash him across the face. But he slammed his boot on the brakes, sending you flying forward into the dashboard and bringing the truck to a screeching halt. Wheezing out as the wind was knocked out of you, Negan grabbed a fistful of your hair in his gloved fist and yanked you back furiously.

It was the moment you realised he was more than capable of killing you with his bare hands if he wanted to. Wincing, you closed your eyes and prepared for a punch that never came.

“Motherfucker!” He snarled at you, all teeth and anger. “You little fuck, don’t you ever fucking try that shit again or I swear on everything I fucking own that I will break your damn neck. Have you been out there for so long that you forgot how the hierarchy works? Oh, you need remindin’. I should pull you outside and smack that prissy ass of yours so hard that you won’t be able to stand for a month!”

His voice was thunderous, so loud that it made your ears ring and it was the first time he’d managed to scare you. His grip on your hair was painful, your scalp throbbing along with the side of your face from the impact against the dashboard.

“I’m sorry… I…” you whispered, your voice shaking. You didn’t know what to say, you didn’t know what came over you.

He let go of you then, his features hard with anger when the static of his walkie-talkie filled the truck.

“Everything alright up there?” Simon’s voice cut through the static, the line of cars behind Negan coming to a stand-still.

Grabbing the black communication device, Negan’s lips twisted into a scowl as he glared back at you. There wasn’t a flicker of amusement in his features.

“Just fucking peachy. Five minutes ‘till we reach Sanctuary, cut on ahead and open the damn gates.” Throwing the walkie-talkie aside with a loud clatter, he turned his attention back to the road and waited for the other Saviours to pass in their vehicles before following behind them.

Neither of you talked for the rest of the journey, you were too shaken to speak another word, afraid that you might burst into tears. This wasn’t normal for you, being this emotional wasn’t how you were. You wondered if being in the presence of an alpha again for the first time in years has shifted the balance you’d worked so hard to control.

–---

 

The Sanctuary was everything Charming wasn’t. The great steel building stood tall and grey, overshadowing everything around it. A perfect fit for Negan and his army of Saviours. Staring out of the window as Negan drove through the large gates, you narrowed your eyes curiously when you spotted steel fences protecting the once-factory. Steel fences that were guarded by chained walkers and still-alive workers who were dressed like prisoners, the letter ‘A’ spray-painted on their chests like livestock. It wasn’t like anything you’d seen before, and you realised just why the Saviours were as successful as they were. It was a damn fortress.

Negan was still quiet, the space between the two of you tense as he drove around the fence and parked in front of the Sanctuary’s main entrance. Simon and his Saviours were already out on their feet, large guns in their hands as they waited for their leader.

You flinched when he grabbed Lucille and stayed seated when he opened the truck door. Grunting, he stepped down out of the vehicle and rounded the hood until he was at your side. Yanking the door open, he glared at you and reached out to grab your arm.

“Let’s go.” He sighed, pulling you out and slamming the door behind you.

“What are you gonna do to me?” You asked him, looking up at his face as he led you towards the others.

“You try and kill me in my own truck with Lucille and fail fucking miserably and now you’re suddenly all talkative?” He asked you, raising his brow as he stopped in his tracks and towered over you. “What do you think I should do to you, Alice? Why don’t you give me a few suggestions, ‘cause I got a few in my mind that’ll work just fine.”

You lowered your head and felt dread filling you. The deadly calm gruff of his voice sent chills spiralling through your body and suddenly you were aware of the other Saviours watching. Negan’s right-hand man stared back at you, the man next to him with a half-burnt face also has his gaze pinned on you. Some of them were talking, some of them whispering. Several different scents filled the air, some were betas, others were alphas. They all knew what you were.

Your heart thudded in your chest and tears pricked your eyes as visions of alphas taking turns raping you filled your mind. Letting out a panicked whimper, you tried to yank your arm from Negan’s firm grip, but he didn’t let you go.

“Don’t let them hurt me, please!” You begged him, not recognising your own voice as your vision blurred with the need to cry. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – I… they’ll kill me if you let them knot me.”

“Hey!” Negan yanked you forward, his hand releasing your arm and gripping your chin instead. His fingers weren’t rough or forceful, but firm enough to make you look him in the eye. “Hey, look at me, girl. Calm the hell down.”

You felt the hot streaks of your own tears slipping down the sides of your cheeks as you stared up at his face. His hazel eyes searched yours as your shallow breaths evened out. He had an ability to make you panic and settle down all in the space of a few seconds.

“I can’t do this…” You whispered.

“Jesus fucking Christ, what do you think I am?” He growled, his voice lowering into a husky whisper. “I may have a reputation for being ruthless and I admit that I take shit to the extremes when need be, but let me make one thing perfectly fucking clear. I don’t stand for that sick shit, and I kill anyone who does. We. Don’t. Rape. You understand me? You honestly thought that was the punishment I was gonna hand you?”

You didn’t answer him, too frazzled with emotion to argue back. Instead you nodded, and he let out a heavy sigh.

“Simon, Dwight.” He called out, turning his back to you to address the two men who stood in front of the others. “Head into the work-stations and let everyone know they can stop for the night, it’s been a long damn day and I can’t wait to see the back of it. As for the rest of you, get some rest. We have an early start tomorrow, supply runs to the Kingdom and Hilltop will start at seven sharpish. Don’t be late, or you can kiss those extra points good-fucking-bye.”

You ran your gaze over Negan’s leather jacket, it was worn and torn and looked like it had suffered most of its damage from his time during the apocalypse. From this angle, you could really look at him without his eyes being pinned on you. He was taller than most of the men you had encountered, his shoulders broad and his dark hair showing the beginnings of silver. He had been around for a long time, a mature alpha who had probably had his fair share of omegas over the years.

Stopping yourself from thinking about what he had between his legs, you folded your arms and felt your stomach flip when he turned to face you again.

“You okay?” He asked, seeming to be genuinely interested in your feelings as he leaned in towards you and slid an arm around your waist.

“I’m fine.” You bit out, still tense as he pulled you close to him and walked you up the set of concrete steps that led towards the main entrance of the Sanctuary.

“That a girl.” He smirked, propping Lucille up onto his free shoulder. “Now that the panic is finally fucking over, let’s get you settled in for the night. We have a lot to discuss, sweetheart.”


	4. Promises

The corridors of the old factory were long and grey and narrow, old metal pipes in the ceilings above exposed and the lights dim. Footsteps echoed against the freshly mopped floors and the smell of bleach clung to your nose. The Sanctuary was as bold on the inside as it was the outside, and you weren’t the least bit surprised.

“This is where you all live?” You asked, glancing up at Negan who stood tall and proud next to you.

A smile broadened across his tan face, dimples beneath the salt and pepper stubble that coated his cheeks revealing themselves.

“Some of us, the rest are working for me in other communities. I have eyes everywhere.” He corrected you and took the lead, striding confidently down the first corridor with Lucille on his shoulder. His boots were heavy on the floor and he whistled a tune that was both piercing and cheery. “Hurry it up, wouldn’t want you to get lost and start crying out for me.”

A chuckle escaped him and you glared into the back of his head before following him grudgingly. You wondered if he was this way all the time, a fucking asshole with a giant-sized asshole ego to match.

Allowing your gaze to wander, you noticed the lines of steel doors on either side of the corridor. They were numbered, and you decided that they were probably rooms for his people. There were a lot of Saviours, but the Sanctuary seemed big enough to house them all. Passing by room one-hundred-and-thirteen, you halted in your tracks when you noticed that the door was ajar. Glancing forward to Negan, you watched as he rounded the corner and turned your attention back to the room.

Curiosity got the better of you, making you lean forward and push the cool steel open to reveal a small living area. There was a kitchen, a table and chairs set big enough for two people and as you looked around some more, you noticed a bed too.

And there dressed in black lingerie that was as sheer and as skimpy as the ones on the models in the Victoria’s Secret magazines you used to read, was a young woman. Your eyes widened in surprise, not expecting to see someone like her in a place like this.

She sat on the mattress with one leg crossed over the other, a book in her hands and a cigarette between her lips.

Taking a step back in fear that you were invading her privacy, you flinched when you fell back against him. His chest was solid, the cool leather of his jacket pressing against your back when you turned on your heel to gawk up at him.

“Well, aren’t you a nosy little shit.” He smirked and leaned in over you to pull the door shut before taking a step into your personal space and forcing you back against it. “Did you like what you saw?”

You Glowered up at the leader who licked his tongue into the corner of his lips with a sly grin.

“The room’s nice.” You shrugged, feeling your cheeks burn when he sucked in a breath and tutted at you.

“There’s nothing more of a turn-off for my big dick than a smart girl who pretends to be dumb, you saw her didn’t you?” He asked you again, narrowing his eyes suggestively. “That’s Amber – my youngest wife. She’s hot as shit in that lacy little thing and man do I enjoy fucking her brains out, but tryin’ to get decent conversation out of her is like putting an ashtray on a motorbike. Fucking pointless.”

You stared up at Negan in both disbelief and disgust before managing to shove past him and continue up the corridor in quick steps. He followed closely behind you, enjoying this mind-game that he subjected you to. 

“Are you serious?” You muttered, turning on your heel to glare at the six-foot-two son of a bitch who looked as smug as he always did. “You said youngest wife, you have more than one?”

“Fuck yeah, I do. Five of ‘em and six if I include you.” He raised his brow and lifted Lucille, pointing the barbed bat at you before resting her back on his shoulder. 

“I’d throw myself out of the highest window I could find before I let myself marry you.” You snapped, folding your arms around your waist as you turned the corner and entered yet another long corridor. “Where the hell are we going, it all looks the same.”

“C’mon, baby – we’d look fucking fantastic together and you know it. Those girls are gonna be pissed off when they find out daddy has a new favourite.” He teased you, his eyes grazing up the length of your body from behind.

“If you have five wives to fuck, you don’t need me.” You muttered, a strange feeling of jealousy rising within you that didn’t sit well. You didn't want Negan. You did not want him. “And let me be clear, if I ever did find an alpha I wanted to bond with, he’d be one who wants me and only me.”

Negan sucked in a breath from behind you and hummed lowly, the deep purr he let out making your belly flutter.

“My, my – look at you. I didn’t think you were the romantic type, darlin’. I thought I had you all figured out in the first five minutes, but you’re already surprising me. I like that.” He smiled, stepping out and around you so he could see your face. “Is that what you want from me, Alice? Monogamy?”

“I don’t want anything from you, Negan. Maybe if I say it enough times, you’ll get the message through your thick fucking skull. Keep your wives and leave me alone.”

“Watch the way you’re talking to me, little one.” He warned, the sharp coldness to his voice returning. “Maybe you do need something from me, maybe I need to follow through with that spanking I promised back in the truck. I’m tired as shit, but best believe that I got more than enough time to remind you of your place.”

You bit down the urge to argue back and set aside your pride long enough to bow your head submissively. The last thing you needed was to be bent over his lap, it was an image that both disgusted and aroused you in the strangest mix of feelings. He would enjoy every second of it, you knew he would. And maybe you would too.

No. 

You did not want him.

“I don’t want or need anything from you sir, please respect that.” You amended your response, blinking up at him with a sickly sweet tone and a false smile to match that felt heavy on your lips.

“There we fucking go, that’s much better.” He grinned at you, the flicker of knowing in his dark gaze making you uneasy. “I do respect that, I’m a fucking gold star Olympian at respecting women’s wishes. I won’t force a bond on you, that’s not how I operate. I'll just kick my feet up and wait for you to come to me, and come to me you will. I promise you that.”

Silence fell between the two of you as you studied each other for a moment. He was so sure of himself, he thought he knew everything there was to know, but you wouldn’t let him win this battle. Giving into Negan was a defeat that you wouldn’t allow yourself to accept. 

No alpha would ever get the opportunity to make you theirs, even if you did tease the idea of it. You knew it would ruin you, just like it ruined your mother before you and your sisters who were now dead because of the abuse omegas suffer at the hands of violent frenzied attacks inflicted upon them. You wouldn't be another statistic.

“You should never make a promise you can’t keep, sir.”

Huffing out a chuckle, Negan tore his gaze from your face and nodded towards the end of the corridor. There stood two large double doors, not steel like the others, but mahogany. 

“My office.” He informed you, leading the way with bold strides again. “We have a few things to discuss, you and I. Rules, living arrangements... all that good stuff. Sounds boring as shit, but trust me, you'll warm to this place and me sooner than you think.”

Following after him, every step felt more like a prison sentence as he led you to the room where he would decide your future at the Sanctuary. Although you had a feeling that you could trust his word, you also knew that Negan was both manipulative and persistent. 

There was a caged beast inside him just waiting for the right moment to break free, just like every other alpha. And if he did take your suppressants from you, it was only a matter of time before you encountered that beast – and no amount of control he claimed to have would be enough to resist your heat.


	5. Sweet Dreams

You didn’t think offices were a thing anymore, not ever since the world collapsed in on itself after the outbreak. And you definitely didn’t pick Negan to be one who would willingly sit behind a desk like some apocalyptic CEO, but here you were and once again it all felt surreal.

His office was grey just like the corridors, a reoccurring theme that matched your mood perfectly. Taking in the dimly lit room, you eyed the wooden desk that sat prominently in front of the row of windows overlooking the Sanctuary’s courtyard. Large gouges marked its surface from what you could only assume to be caused by Lucille, evidence of Negan’s short temper. You couldn’t help but wonder who the unlucky person was to receive the brunt of his wrath and for what reason.

“Finally, some peace and fucking quiet.” He sighed with an air of relief, nudging the door closed behind him as he strode past you towards the wooden chair that waited for him behind his desk. “Now, where were we.”

You stood your ground in the centre of the room, watching quietly as he lowered himself into his chair, propping one boot up onto the desk and laying Lucille down at his side. His eyes met yours, his hazel gaze piercing in this light as he regarded you for a moment.

“Rules.” You reminded him bluntly. “You were going to give me a list of things I can and can’t do while I’m here, like some mindless slave following orders.”

His lips parted slightly, the slightest smirk curving at his mouth.

“Jesus. You are so _damn_ dramatic, there is an entire shitload of people who’d love to be in your position right about now. And trust me, if I was gonna treat you like my _slave_ I wouldn’t have fucking bothered taking you up here to discuss terms.” He told you, rolling his broad shoulders into a shrug. “You’re receiving the special treatment, darlin’. Something I don’t just hand out to any random asshole.”

“Such a gentleman.” Sarcasm laced your voice bitterly as you strolled forward and took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. “So, how does this work exactly? You take my suppressants from me, force me into heat when there’s multiple alphas here who could literally rip me apart and just laugh at my suffering from the side-lines ‘till I give into you?”

“We’ve already been over this, Alice. That shit just doesn’t happen on my watch, I think it’s about time you stop being so fucking defensive and put those listening ears on.” He nodded. “As for the suppressants, do you even know how unhealthy that shit is? They rot your insides black, they can screw up your fertility and not to mention the shit load of health issues that come along with them. Blood clots, seizures – _cancer_.” He emphasised the last word as if it were poison on the tip of his tongue.

You scoffed and folded one leg over the other, your features hard as you glared back at the alpha.

“Oh, so you want me off them for my health?” You knew better than to believe a bare-faced lie, you could see through the manipulation a mile away. “And you seriously think I’d fall for that bullshit, _please_. I don’t know what naïve omegas you’ve dealt with in the past, but I’m not one of them.”

“Oh, you’re definitely not like the others I’ve had in the past, they all at least knew their roles. You on the other hand are a little spitfire, and as much as that feisty mouth of yours gets my dick hard, I’m afraid that it’ll come back to bite you in the ass if you keep it up.” He encouraged you, danger in his eyes as he did so.

 “And yeah, your health _is_ important to me along with a whole list of other shit that includes the ability to bare my offspring.”

There it was, the real reason you were here. Not just because he wanted to fuck you and knot you and keep you to himself as a possession, but because he wanted children. You knew that omegas were rare in numbers now. With the apocalypse came chaos within the hierarchy, alphas and betas alike hunted omegas down like packs of wolves, becoming frenzied with uncontrollable blood lust when law and order was eradicated.

Omegas went into heat, which sent alphas into a rut and fight for survival and dominance ensued, resulting in many deaths. A lot of those deaths were due to alphas not being able to control the beast within them, and some just because they got off on the power of killing without consequence. Omegas were the lowest in the food-chain, an easy target for those who sought them out.

You couldn’t put your finger on an exact number of lives lost, but you knew omegas were sparse, especially in Virginia. You had come across a handful of others after everything went sour, but you all parted ways, finding your own routes to survival.

“I don’t want kids, and I especially don’t want yours.” You muttered, sliding a strand of hair out of your face.

“That’s the suppressants talking, just wait until they fade out of your system. You’ll be begging me to put my kids inside you.” He assured you, glancing down at your belly for just a second before finding your glare again. “But enough about that just now, we’re here to talk about your living arrangements. While you’re here under my roof, you’ll follow my rules and you’ll stay safe. That’s how this works, Alice. If you break one of my rules, which I hope you’re smart enough not to fucking do, you’ll be punished in a way I see fit. You understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Great!” He clapped his hands together and leaned forward. “First thing’s first, you’ll have your own room here, one that’s connected with mine. That way you won’t have to worry about other alphas sniffin’ around you. Secondly, there’s a curfew. Absolutely no wandering around the Sanctuary after ten, I control everything around here – but I’m not naïve to the fact that there’s probably a few creeps who lurk in the shadows when I’m not there to monitor them. No boyfriends, but I don’t think I needed to clarify that. Now, it’s just figuring out what to do with you on a day to day basis.”

Resting your palms on your knees, the uneasiness swayed within you again.

“You get a choice here, little one.” Drumming his fingers against the desk, he eyed you carefully. “Option one, you accept my offer of marriage and join the harem as my wife and have everything you need at your disposal. Clothes, make-up, food – you name it and its yours within reason. Or you can choose option two which is where you work for me here in the Sanctuary and earn points to make ends meet… the world is your oyster, Alice. Which one will it be?”

“I’ll work.” You told him, not even bothering to consider the first option.

“Course you will.” Negan snorted, amused by you as he seemingly already knew which choice you would make. “So stubborn and too proud to be the easy girl, you gotta go and make shit difficult for me every damn step of the way. Fine, that settles it. You’ll work as one of my cleaners, not the most glamorous job – but a job nonetheless. You’ll be responsible for cleaning the cells of my prisoners as well as toilets and floors, and everything better be fucking gleaming when you’re done. You’ll also be supervised at all times by one of my people, it’ll put my mind at ease when I ain’t around.”

Dread buried itself inside you along with frustration that he was handing you the most mundane task in the place, but you weren’t surprised. If you were going to be a pain in the ass for him, then he was going to be a pain in the ass for you.

“Why don’t you throw me in one of those cells instead, I’m already fitting into the role of prisoner.” You shrugged. “Cleaning toilets? I was a leader in Charming, I was more than some fucking maid with a mop and bucket.”

“Don’t make me fucking laugh. You were _no_ leader, leaders get shit done. Leaders make decisions to keep their people safe and you did neither.” He huffed, irritation working its way into his features again. “If I didn’t know what I know now – I would’ve crushed one of Charming’s most innocent to prove a point. And if I had done that, your people would’ve turned on you like a pack of wolves. You wouldn’t be a leader then, you’d be a walking corpse or six feet in the ground. Like it or not, princess – this is your life now, so put on your best smile for daddy and show me what a good little domestic servant you can be.”

Feeling your cheeks burn with anger, you stood up and balled your hands into fists. You wanted to scream at him and make a scene, you wanted to dig Lucille’s barbed wire into the side of his face and watch him bleed. But instead you did nothing but glare at him, knowing that he wouldn’t give you another chance to behave yourself.

“You got something to say to me?”

“I’d like to go to my room.” You ground out.

“I’d like to go to my room…” He waved a hand, encouraging you to continue.

“ _Please_.” You added, hating every second you had to look him in the face.

“There is it, what a good girl.” He smirked, licking his tongue against his teeth as he reached beneath his desk and pulled free a walkie-talkie. He loved this, he loved seeing you struggle to contain yourself and you knew he wanted you to fail just so he could bend you over his knee like he promised.

You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Fat Joseph.” He spoke into the walkie-talkie, never taking his eyes of you as he did. “Make your way to my office and for the love of god, don’t have a fucking asthma attack running up the stairs.”

“Right away, boss.” Came a muffled man’s voice a second later.

Sliding your hands against the curve of your waist, you waited for whoever Fat Joseph was and looked past Negan and towards the windows behind him. The sky was a mix of grey and dark orange, the sun beginning to dip behind the horizon as the dark approached.

“I hope you like the room, I left a couple of outfits on the bed for you.” He smiled, that sly look making its way on his face again. “It’s up to you what you pick to sleep in, but either or will be more than fucking okay with me.”

You raised a brow at him, when the office door swung open from behind you. A large man stepped into the room, dressed in a plaid shirt and faded jeans. His cheeks were chubby and red, his mousy brown hair tousled as he looked at you and then to Negan.

“Fat Joey meet Alice, Alice meet Fat Joey.” The leader introduced the both of you. “Take her to my room, let her inside and lock the door behind you. I still got work to get through, and she needs to get some sleep before her shift tomorrow. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

You didn’t even bother to look at Negan when he addressed you, instead smiling at Joey who didn’t seem to want to look at you.

“Yes sir, I’ll take her straight away.” He nodded, stepping out of the way of the door and allowing you room to pass.

“Good. And Alice?”

You halted at the doorway when Negan called for you, turning this time to look at him as he smiled back at you.

“Have sweet, _wet_ dreams about me.”

You clinched your jaw and stormed out of the room, hearing his deep chuckle follow you as Joey closed the door after him.

 

**\---**

 

The walk to Negan’s room was a quiet one, the only sound filling the corridors both you and Joey’s footsteps echoing against the dark walls. You didn’t feel up to having a conversation, but you could sense that the man was nervous of you to begin with.

You didn’t exactly know why, but you could guess that he thought you were Negan’s newest prize. Huffing out a sigh, you walked up a flight of stairs and onto the second level of the old factory. It was then that you received a pleasant surprise.

The walls up on this level weren’t dark like what you had seen so far of the Sanctuary, but wallpapered cream and silver. A row of black wall lamps were installed on either side, casting an almost romantic light on the corridor. The floors were laminated, and your boots clicked on its surface as Joey led you past a set of dark wooden doors towards the end of the corridor to another set of dark wooden double doors.

“Is this it?” You asked him as he shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans and yanked out a keyring full of keys.

“Yeah, this is the boss’s apartment.” He nodded as he sifted through them before pulling out the right one.

You watched as he unlocked the doors and waited while he turned the door knob, pushing both doors open and allowing you inside.

He stood aside and glanced at you as you strolled past him and inside.

It was everything you didn’t think it would be. Neat, stylish, modern. Hearing the doors close and lock behind you, you glanced over your shoulder before taking a look around.

The first thing you noticed was the living area on the right, a leather couch and two fabric seats sitting opposite with a glass coffee table in the middle. Behind that were three windows partly hidden by long black drapes. The stuffed head of a deer was mounted on one of the dark grey walls, staring back at you with beady black eyes as if it were judging you. Then behind the sofa was a stack of shelves nearly as high as the ceiling, filled with odd decorative items. You wondered if they were trophies that he’d taken from other communities. The floors were carpeted a lighter grey, which felt like luxury in the world that you lived in.

There were lamps in all corners of the room, none of them the same design but all casting a soft glow as you turned to see the real attraction.

A large four post queen sized bed fit for a King. Like everything else, the sheets kept up with the theme and were also a shade of grey. You could smell his scent from here, strong and memorable. He smelt like freshly baked bread, natural musk that was a unique scent unlike any other, leather and spicy cologne. It clung to the back of your throat, it settled between your teeth and on your tongue like wine and clouded your mind.

But there was another scent too, one which you weren’t yet familiar with. This one was female. The smell of hand-cream, perfume and sweat made you scowl. It was then that you were reminded that Negan’s bed was a playground, a place where he most likely fucked his wives every night. The thought of Amber laying beneath him with her legs spread open while he mounted her and entered her struck a chord within you.

That bitter jealous feeling snuck up on you again, throwing you off guard.

You didn’t want him. He wasn’t your alpha, you didn’t give a shit about who or who he didn’t have sex with. Glaring at the bed, you huffed and strolled past it towards a wooden door.

Pushing it open, you knew this room was yours. It was much smaller than Negan’s impressive quarters, but it had all that you needed.

A double bed, a wooden closet and a desk with a chair.

There was no window in this room, not that it mattered to you.

Furrowing your brows, you looked down at the white sheets and rolled your eyes at what he had left for you. Lingerie, black and almost non-existent just like Amber’s – and a white oversized t-shirt. Now you knew what he meant by being fine with whatever one you chose to sleep in. One was scandalous for his perverted thoughts and the other belonged to him, soaked in his scent.

“Fucking asshole.” You muttered, stepping forward to grab the lingerie and toss it aside. There was no way in hell you were parading around him in _that_ , you wouldn’t give into his fantasy of you being his wife.

Instead you chose the t-shirt. It was still a win for Negan, but it was the better option in your mind. Stripping your clothes off, you folded them into a pile and placed them on the desk at the foot of your bed before grabbing the shirt. _Baked bread, natural musk, leather and spice_. It was all that filled you as you slid into it. Too-big, the material fell down past your ass and tickled at your bare thighs. Even in this, you felt vulnerable and quickly climbed into bed, not wasting time in slipping under the silk sheets for the night.

For the first time, everything was silent.

Bliss, you thought as you drifted off to sleep.

**\---**

_A six-foot-two figure stood in the shadows of the doorway to your room as you slept soundly, hazel eyes fixed on you as you dreamt of filthy things that involved a certain alpha that you despised. He watched as you twisted in the sheets, he listened to your soft mewls and he stood his ground as much as it pained him._

_He wanted to climb on top of you and force your legs apart._

_He wanted to bury his face between your soft thighs and lap at the wetness that gathered in your panties._

_But instead a low growl rumbled in his chest as he pulled the door shut behind him and returned to his own bed for the night._

* * *

 

**A/N:** Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Blood Bonded. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I hope to continue getting chapters out like this on a frequent schedule, depending on work etc. But thank you all for reading so far! 

 

 


	6. Follow The Leader

Breathing in deeply, a small smile pulled at the corners of your lips at the scent that wakened you from a deep sleep. Stretching your arms and legs out with a small whine, you sighed and pressed your face into the fabric of the pillow, nuzzling the soft silk.

Baked bread, natural musk, leather and spice.

It engulfed you like a warm embrace before realisation struck you like a bullet.

This wasn’t home.

Flinching, you sat upright and scrambled to grab the white sheets to your chest. Your dark hair was dishevelled, flopping over half of your face as you took in your surroundings again.

He sat on the bottom of your bed like he belonged there.

Negan.

Amusement lingered in his eyes as he basked in the look of shock that fell upon your face.

“Mornin’, sunshine.” He greeted you, his voice deep and raspy as he slowly stood to his feet with a sly smile.

You were speechless for a few seconds, still trying to wrap your head around the events that had happened in the last twenty-four-hours. Narrowing your eyes, you glared up at the alpha who wasn’t sporting the leather jacket you were used to seeing him in. Instead he was casual, wearing a white t-shirt that revealed the tattoos on his arms and the usual grey jeans fitted with two belts that still didn’t stop them from hanging low on his hips. He held Lucille in one hand, letting the barbed bat dangle by his boot.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you sighed heavily and realised it was his scent that had stirred you awake and you knew that this was probably his intention.

“How long were you sitting there watching me?”

“A while.” He rolled broad shoulders into a shrug and looked you over curiously. “Your first day on the job should’ve started forty minutes ago, if you were anyone else I would’ve stripped your points for seriously shitty timekeeping.”

Clinching your jaw, you glowered up at him and yanked the covers from your body, shoving them aside to free your legs. Shifting your weight across the mattress, you stood up and strolled around the bed to where your clothes were laid out on the desk.

The cool air hit the back of your bare legs, sending a shiver rolling up the length of your spine.

“Now that is a good look. Shit, I was hoping that you’d choose the little lacy number I picked out for you but I gotta admit… this.” Pointing at you, Negan dragged his gaze up the length of your body until his eyes locked with yours. “This is fucking nice.”

“It stinks, you could’ve at least washed it.” You bit back, unfolding your jeans and shaking them out before slipping them on.

“Can’t be too bad seeing how you were rolling around in it like a pig in shit.” Strolling forward, Negan licked his tongue into the corner of his lips and smirked as he moved to stand behind you. He was so close that you could feel the heat radiating off him, but you didn’t budge an inch.

Instead you stood your ground, trying your best not to kick back at him as he leaned in close and breathed in your hair. “My scent is something you’re gonna get used to real quick, sweetheart. There ain’t no shame in liking it, omegas feel safer when they smell their alpha around them.”

Stiffening when you felt one of his hands rest on the curve of your waist, you looked down at his calloused fingers as they squeezed gently. Your skin prickled, and you paused for just a second before shrugging away from him.

“Don’t touch me.” You muttered icily, turning to see him studying you carefully. “I just wanna get dressed and start my shift.”

“So get dressed.” He mumbled, his voice so low that your belly fluttered in response.

Shaking out your shirt next, you looked at the grey fabric and felt an air of tension in the room as he just stood there.

“Turn around.” You told him, not thinking you had to state the obvious.

“Aw, come on. You were acting so fucking big and bold yesterday and this is where you go all shy on me?” Humour laced his deep voice, but he did as you asked and turned on the heel of his boot. “I am very fucking accustomed to seeing women naked, you don’t have to hide from me Alice.”

“There’s a thing called personal space, you should look it up.” You huffed, staring into the back of his head. His dark hair had been neatly trimmed and slicked back since yesterday.

Letting out a chuckle, he kept his eyes trained on your bedroom door while you stripped his t-shirt over your head.

“God damn, you are a sassy little shit. I keep threatening you with a spanking, but I think I need to just follow through with it.” He nodded to himself. “Give you a little taste of what punishment feels like.”

Tossing the t-shirt onto the bed, you felt a wave of insecurity hit you square in the stomach as you glanced down at the faded scars that marked your ribs and abdomen. On any other given day you wouldn’t have paid them a lick of attention, they were part of you and had been for a long time. But being in Negan’s company brought out that shame, not that he could see you.

Turning around, you grabbed your shirt and slipped into it with ease. Sliding your long hair to the side, you inhaled a breath and turned to face Negan again, but this time he was looking directly at you.

Your stomach dropped when you spotted something in his hazel eyes that you hadn’t seen before – sympathy. Ignoring it entirely, you looked down at the floor and stepped into your boots before heading for the door.

But as you tried to get out, he blocked your path with his arm.

“Negan…”

“Who did that to you?” He asked, no humour in his voice this time as he looked down at you. His tone was soft and raspy and there was an air of seriousness about him that made you uneasy.

“It’s my business.” You blinked up to his face and saw his jaw clinch.

Did he really care or was this just an act to seem humane? You didn’t know, but it seemed genuine.

“Someone went to town on you, sweetheart. Those scars…“ He paused with a shake of his head. "They cut deep, the fucker who did that to you really was out to hurt you badly.”

You nodded silently, affirming everything he said.

“Yeah, and they did – but it’s over and done with now.” You brushed it off and looked past him towards the bedroom door. “Can I please get to work now? I’m already late.”

“Fuck work. Is he still alive?”

You gulped and found it difficult to look him in the eye, not wanting to relive the past again, but Negan was persistent. He wanted answers.

“No.” You sighed, returning your gaze to his face. “He died in a fire before all of this.”

Nodding, the alpha sucked in a breath and released it slowly.

“Good, I hope he felt those flames roast him alive.” He told you.

“Me too, now can I go?”

Shifting to the side, Negan let you slide past him and head out into his main apartment again. Following close behind you with a look of frustration falling across his features, he sucked his lower lip between his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

“Hold on, little one. Before we head on down to them filthy cells, I think we need to do a tour first.” Strolling towards you, he reached a gloved finger out to slide a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

“A tour?”

“That’s right, a fucking tour. Wouldn’t be right not to show you what goes on around here now would it? C’mon, let’s see what my people get up to when the boss ain’t around.”

His lips stretched into a wide grin and he let out a breathy chuckle as he strode past you and towards the door, yanking it open with that eerie whistle he liked to repeat over and over again.

Glancing back at you, the tall alpha leaned back slightly.

“You just gonna fucking stand there? Let’s go.”

Rolling your eyes, you quickly followed after him and slammed the door shut behind you.

—

“You like what you see?”

Standing up on a concrete platform that overlooked the ground floor of the Sanctuary, your lips parted in surprise at the amount of people who were going about their day to day lives. Men, women, children. There were more people here than there were back in Charming. The Saviours looked human for the very first time, not like the soldiers that held guns back in your community.

Negan grinned at your reaction and stood tall before approaching the yellow railing, showing himself to the people who called him leader. You stood back in the shadows and your eyes widened when they all fell to one knee like they were servants to a great King.

“Alright, listen up. We got a hell of a lot of work to get done over the next few weeks, it won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it. Food, weapons, cars… you name it and we’ll take it. The communities we work with are all falling into line nicely, and that means a more comfortable living for all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, we are the Saviours and we will succeed because that’s what we’re good at. There are no if’s or but’s about it. Now, because all of you have been working your asses off, there will be free vegetables of your choosing for everybody. Take your pick, this treat is on me.”

Cheering and clapping erupted below.

“As you were!” He shouted out, turning his back on them as they all stood to their feet again and engaged in conversation with each other.

Lifting your chin as he approached you again, you didn’t say anything. You weren’t about to give him praise for being some hot shot, he was still a giant asshole.

“How’s that for alpha?” He whispered in your ear, smirking as you leaned away from him. “They bow down to me out of respect, and one of these days you’ll do the same.”

You resisted the urge to tell him to fuck off and instead followed behind him reluctantly as he headed down the metal stairs to the lower level.

“Where are we going?”

“Outside.” He told you as he marched through the mass of people who parted for him like the red sea.

Struggling to keep up with his long strides, you tried your best not to make eye contact with any of the Saviours, but you knew they were looking at you. It made you nervous, not because you were a stranger to them, but because you were an omega and you knew that both betas and alphas were mixed in with the crowd.

Sighing as you reached a side door, Negan shoved it open and headed out into the Virginian heat. You followed and felt the sun beating down on you immediately, the cloudless blue sky beautiful.

There were more people outside, and they all fell to one knee again as Negan passed them on the concrete path that had grass on either side of it, rising again when he paid them no attention. It was wild to witness, you’d never seen anything like it.

Rounding a corner, you stopped in your tracks when you saw the greenhouse and plots where vegetables had been growing on the right side while on the left was a beautiful display of flowers. All kinds. It was the only part of the Sanctuary that wasn’t grey, and it made you feel calm.

“A garden?” You smiled brightly at the sight that unfolded in front of you. “This is… I like this.”

Turning to eye you in the daylight, Negan enjoyed your reaction.

“Fuck yeah, you do. Only my best workers get to spend time out here, nothing like soaking up those rays with a cold beer.” He breathed, pointing Lucille towards the wooden benches that had been placed near the far wall.

“If I work hard, can I spend time out here?” You asked him, watching as he licked his lips.

“That depends on whether you’re good at your job or not.” He told you, towering over you again. “If you scrub them shit stained cells clean, and I mean sparkling fucking clean – then you can have twenty minutes out here each day.”

Twenty minutes was fucking ridiculous, but you wouldn’t argue about it. You were going to be the best shit stained cell cleaner Negan had ever seen, that was a fact.

“Okay.” You nodded.

“Okay.” He smirked and led you back towards the door where you’d come from. “Let’s get you to work, little omega. I give you two days tops before you break and fucking beg to be my wife.”

“Not gonna happen.” You told him, seeing this as your biggest challenge to date.

“Mm, we’ll see about that.”


	7. Work Hard

The lights were dimmer down in this part of the Sanctuary. The walls were dark, the paint chipped and unkempt unlike the hallways you were used to seeing. The floors were covered in footprints, mud and gravel had been trailed through here with the Saviours movements. But none of that shocked you, this was what you had been preparing yourself for. Mess.

It was the smell that caught you off guard. Shit and piss and rot – it radiated from the thick steel cell doors that were lined up next to each other along this corridor. Ten of them.

“Ah, home sweet home.” Negan broke the silence and strolled forward from behind you, four men with guns following as he pulled Lucille from his shoulder and swung her against each steel door with a deep grunt. “Let’s get these pricks out for fence duty, rise and shine assholes!”

You watched on and flinched with each solid whack he delivered, feeling your knees weaken slightly as yells and screams of distress erupted from inside. You wondered what they did to deserve this kind of punishment. It had to be bad shit. You didn’t know if you wanted to find out.

Bending his knees, Negan leaned back and let out a shrill whistle as he turned to face his men, giving the order by waving his gloved hand. They moved then and unlocked the doors, marching inside to get the prisoners out. There was shouting and threatening, you stayed quiet as each man was yanked out into the corridor wearing rags for clothes.

Feeling your eyes water at the stink that engulfed you, you lifted a hand to your mouth and tried your damn hardest not to gag. Negan grinned at the sight of you, basking in your discomfort as his Saviours led the ten men past you.

Glancing at each of them, you held your breath when the last man barked at you. The Saviour held him back, preventing him from getting to you, but he howled like an animal and laughed.

“Omega!” He growled, his teeth black with rot. “I’ll fuck you bloody and you’ll scream!”

“HEY.”

You didn’t get the chance to respond as Negan stormed forward, swinging Lucille down by his side with each thunderous step. He looked terrifying, his features twisting into a scowl as he snatched the back of the man’s shirt and threw him back against the concrete wall with a thud.

The man heaved, his eyes wide with fear as the alpha brought Lucille up to his face and pressed her barbed wire into the side of his cheek.

“You shit stained pencilled dick fuck.” He sneered, towering over the smaller man as he screeched at the pain of his flesh being torn. “Don’t you ever fucking look or talk to her again, you so much as fucking breathe in her direction and I will skin you alive and feed you feet first to my biters.”

“Yes, sir! Yes, ah! I’m s-s-sorry – oh God have mercy!”

Growling as he dragged Lucille down the man’s face until he saw red, Negan stepped back and yanked him forward, shoving him into the Saviour who was watching him for the day.

“Take this sorry son of a bitch outside and if he so much as makes a fucking sound, bring him back to me.”

“Yes, sir.” The Saviour nodded obediently and shoved the prisoner forward, pressing his gun into his back as he led him out of the prison block.

Finally, it was just you and Negan again.

You blinked up at him as he turned Lucille around, his eyes focused on the blood and flesh that clung to her wire. There was something about the way he jumped to your defence that made you look at him in a different light. A small smile crept onto your face, but you caught it just in time before he looked at you again.

“Sorry ‘bout that, darlin’.”

Shaking your head, you shrugged your shoulders.

“It’s fine, I’ve heard worse.” You told him and looked down at his boots to see blood dripping onto them. “You can clean those yourself, I’m not about to get on my knees in front of you.”

Amusement found the alpha’s eyes and he huffed out a chuckle as he stepped in towards you.

“Shit, that didn’t even cross my mind for a second. I see where your mind’s at, sweetheart and I like it.” He raised his brow and grinned down at you, pleased that you found a little humour in the situation.

You kept your eyes trained on his, and for the first time a silence fell between the two of you that felt different. His grin faded and his gaze dropped to your lips. Catching yourself in the moment, you sucked in a breath and focused back on the cell block again.

“So, where’s the mop and bucket?” You asked him.

Licking his lips, Negan turned from you and narrowed his eyes as the door on the opposite side of the corridor squeaked open.

“There she is!” He announced, greeting the sight of a plain dressed woman who wheeled in a metal bucket and mop along with a smaller bucket that she held in her opposite hand. “Alice, this is Louise. She’s a good worker and is gonna help you clean this shit up.”

You eyed the woman curiously and could tell straight away that she was tired of Negan’s bullshit as much as you were.

She was older than you, if you had to take a guess, she looked around forty. Her hair was mousy brown and cut short around her chubby cheeks, the glasses she wore were sliding down her nose until she pushed them back into place with one finger.

“Yeah, when you told me you had a new job for me I didn’t think it was cleaning up shit.” She huffed and nodded at you. “So you’re the new one, huh? What number are you, seven? Eight?”

You frowned and looked to Negan who lowered his head with a smirk.

“She’s not my wife, Lou – not yet anyway.” He explained. “Alice wanted a job and so here she is, working for her points like a good girl.”

You rolled your eyes at their interaction and bit your tongue. This wasn’t what you signed up for.

“Ah, a defiant one? Hell, most of ‘em girlies will spread their legs for a goddamn candy bar. That ain’t me being mean, that’s just the truth.” She snorted and made her way over to you, a slight limp in her walk as she did so. “But you’re not like them girls, are ya? You’re an omega.”

“Louise!” Negan snapped, glowering at the woman. “Leave her alone, she’s here to do her job not be fucking interrogated.”

The woman turned and nodded at the alpha, bowing her head as a sign of respect.

“I know, I know.” She agreed. “I got it from here boss, you don’t have ta worry.”

You were quiet. This was all so new to you and you weren’t sure what to say or what not to say, especially seeing as Negan was in a more irritable mood after the prisoner incident.

“Good, that’s it then.” He relaxed his shoulders and made his way over to you, stepping into your personal space and towering over you. “Work hard for me and you’ll get your garden, if you don’t then tough shit I’m afraid. And Alice, if this is too much for you – you know where my office is.”

Running his thumb against your chin, you gulped and blinked away from him as he slid past you and headed out of the prison block, leaving you alone with your supervisor.

**

Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days in the cell block that could only be described as disgusting. It smelled, it looked horrific and every breath you inhaled made your eyes water as you knelt on the hard-grey floor of one of the cells with a sponge in hand. The once clear water in the old tin bucket by your side was brown with filth, and you felt as if cleaning this place was a lost cause, but you wouldn’t give up. Failure wasn’t an option.

Louise scrubbed at the farthest wall, the disinfectant she used the only bearable scent in the place.

“How long have you been here?” You broke the silence while you scrubbed, glancing up at the woman who turned to look at you. “In the Sanctuary?”

Sighing, she used the back of her wrist to wipe the beads of sweat that had gathered on her forehead.

“Since before it was even called the Sanctuary.” She told you in her Southern accent that you couldn’t quite place. “Comin’ up on nearly two years, crazy that it’s been that long already. Just feels like yesterday that everythin’ was normal.”

You nodded, too curious to just leave it at that.

“Has Negan been here since the start?”

“Oh yeah, he’s the one who turned this place into what it is. Ya see, the Sanctuary didn’t even have a name before Negan – it was just a factory filled with predators who preyed on the weak. Ex-criminals, rapists… you name it. Place was a damn travesty is what it was.” She explained, blinking at the ground as she remembered it. “People kept on killin’ each other over stupid shit, and there sure as hell wasn’t no trust or order or any of that. Chaos is normal when society collapses, but it turned into somethin’ else when your kind started tearin’ each other apart. Alphas and betas, it was a mess… and Negan fixed it. He can be brutal, but he gets results and that’s why he’s in charge.”

Dunking your sponge back into the bucket, you let it soak into the water.

“Yeah, but how?” You asked, narrowing your eyes.

“What, how did he fix it?”

You nodded.

“By killin’ ‘em.” She shrugged and adjusted her glasses. “He started with the alphas who tried to rape women, would use Lucille to smash their heads in and nobody wanted to fuck with that. So slowly but surely people started lookin’ up to him as a leader, he saved this place before it went under. That’s why he got called the Saviour, and the name stuck so here we are. I mean, cleaning shitty fucking cells ain’t my idea of a good time but at least I ain’t dead.”

You smirked and let out a small laugh.

“What about you, what’d you do before all this?” She asked as she moved towards the mop and bucket in the corner, letting her sponge fall into the water with a splash.

Pressing your lips together into a firm line, you sighed as you thought about what your life looked like before the apocalypse. Memories of your mother and younger sister laughing around the kitchen table filled your mind, you could still hear them, even now. But you could also hear their screams, the terror in their eyes as a pack of alphas surrounded them like wolves did with deer in the middle of the forest you used to play in as a child. You could still feel the pain from escaping without them, you could still feel the weakness in your knees as you ran for your life.

“Alice?”

Shaking yourself out of your memories, you gulped and returned your gaze to her face.

“Nothing extraordinary.” You mumbled. “My mother was a florist and I helped her out during the week until the world collapsed, from there I learned to survive on my own until I found people I could trust. I lived in Charming right up until yesterday and now I’m here.”

There was a bitterness in your voice and you knew Louise could hear it.

“Well, look on the bright side. You ain’t alone down here.”

The both of you laughed together as you cleaned until your fingers were aching.

**

Limping out of the sixth cell, you winced at how raw your knees were from kneeling all day and squeezed at your sore hands.

“That’s it for the day.” Louise huffed, nodding towards the corridor door on the right.

You frowned and followed her line of sight to see the Saviours bringing the prisoners back into the block. Shaking your head, you turned to look at the woman who shrugged and dragged her mop and bucket with her in the opposite direction.

“Wait, we haven’t finished up yet – they’re just gonna stink the place up again.”

“Yep. That’s what happens, this block don’t ever get fully clean.” She told you as she limped towards the far-end door. “We’ll start from scratch tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, we just gotta do what we can in the time we have.”

Feeling your shoulders sink in disappointment, you glared back at each of the dirty prisoners and scowled as they were shoved back into the cells you’d spent the entire day cleaning.

“Don’t you ever shower them?” You asked the one Saviour you recognised, Dwight. His straw-like blonde hair covered the burn on the right side of his face as he looked up at you. “What’s the point of cleaning these cells if they’re just gonna shit and piss all over them again?”

He raised one brow at you and shrugged.

“I guess there isn’t a point, but someone’s gotta do it.” He told you, slamming the cell door shut. “Your shift is over for the day, Negan wants you upstairs.”

“Wait – he said I could get twenty minutes in the garden.”

Shaking his head, the Saviour looked confused at your statement.

“Nah, he didn’t tell me that. You’ll have to talk to him about it, c’mon… it’s past your curfew anyway.” He waved an arm at you.

Balling your hands into fists, you muttered under your breath and strode towards the door with Dwight following behind you, his features scrunching at the smell that clung to your clothes.

It didn’t take long for you to reach Negan’s office and you didn’t bother knocking, instead you barged inside and halted to a stop, your eyes wide and angry. He stood behind his desk, cupping the face of a woman in a black dress, his lips on hers before he turned to see you standing there. A smirk curved at his mouth as he lifted his hand and ran his fingers through his beard.

“Alice, there you are.”

You felt as if your entire body was on fire, and all you saw was red.

“You said I would get my fucking garden break if I worked hard.” You glared at him and then at the brunette who you could only assume was one of his wives.

She looked you up and down with disgust, seeing the questionable stains that clung to your clothes.

“I said you’d get your break if you cleaned all of those cells, and did you?” He asked, pulling himself away from his wife and rounding the desk to move towards you. “Ho-lee-shit, that is a potent fucking smell. I think you need a serious shower before anything else, goddamn.”

“I worked hard all day, for hours. The least you could give me is –“

“Nope.” He interrupted you, nipping your train of thought in the bud. “You don’t get to decide what I should or shouldn’t give you, that’s up to me and only me. Don’t fucking forget that it was you who wanted to work and be like everyone else by earning points, and like everyone else you’ll get the same privileges.”

Pausing to stare down at you for a long moment, Negan licked his tongue into the corner of his lips when he saw the anger pooling in your eyes. He could sense that you were on the verge of snapping, you knew he could.

“You’ll get your garden when you clean every cell, that’s a promise.” He nodded, his voice low and raspy. “Now, before you run off to get that shit and piss scrubbed off, I’d like you to meet my wife Sherry.”

Scraping your teeth along your lower lip, you glowered at the brunette who lifted her chin and gave half a smile. Looking between the two of you, Negan chuckled.

“Fuck this, I don’t give a shit.” You muttered and turned on the heel of your boot, storming back out of the office.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Alice.” He warned, his tone dangerous as he did so.

But you were too enraged to care and continued on, pushing past Dwight and rounding the corner down the corridor. First things first, you were going to take a shower and then head to bed on an empty stomach. Eating wasn’t your priority but getting up early so you could start your day again was.


	8. Safe

It didn't take you long to find the bathroom, it was situated directly across from Negan's apartment which you were glad for. The last thing you wanted to do was wander around the corridors and ask for directions, especially when you knew next to no one. The Sanctuary was huge, and you were the only omega.

Locking the door behind you, the bathroom was quiet and warm. It's exactly what you needed after the day you had. The stink that clung to your hair, skin and clothes was more evident now as you leaned back against the wood and looked around. 

The ceilings and walls were white while the floor was blue and tiled, and there was a large bath facing you at the opposite end of the room and a shower right next to it. The sink was on the right side, and a mirror was mounted up on the wall above it. There were wash clothes and toothpaste and one toothbrush along with deodorant, mouthwash and cologne.

You hadn't seen yourself since Charming and honestly you were afraid to look, scared to see what mess awaited you. Trailing your tired feet over to the sink, you finally greeted your reflection with a deep sigh.

Your hair was knotted and greasy, dirt and whatever else clung to your chin and cheeks making you look like a madwoman who'd been surviving out in the wild for days on end. There were bags under your eyes and cracks in your lips. You didn't look good, but at least you were alive. Glancing down at the bottle of cologne, you reached for it and sniffed it, reclining as the spice settled in the back of your throat.

It definitely belonged to Negan. You didn't want to think about him, you were still so angry about all of this that you wanted to cry. But you didn't, instead you pulled your sweaty shirt up over your head and tossed it aside. Then you stripped yourself from your jeans and underwear before unhooking your bra.

Standing in the nude, you rolled your head back and let your hair dangle down against your spine.

You felt free again.

Turning your attention to the shower, you strolled over towards it and stepped inside. There were sponges, shampoo and a two kinds of body wash, dark bottles that clearly weren't feminine. Not that it mattered, you just wanted to be clean. Turning the shower on, you flinched and held your breath as cold water sprinkled down above you, gradually getting hotter with each passing second.

Dirt and shit and sweat slid off your body and down the drain and you closed your eyes, basking in how good it felt. You washed your hair and massaged the shampoo into the knots until they came free, and soon enough you felt human again. Grabbing a sponge that rested on the shower shelf, you squeezed body wash into it and began scrubbing every inch of yourself raw.

Rubbing the loofah between your thighs, you furrowed your brows and rested your forehead against the shower wall. Water continued to pelt down against your skin as you worked the sponge between your legs in circular motions, sucking your lip between your teeth at how good it felt.

Sighing, you moaned lightly as the soft material slid against your clit over and over again until your insides were tight. You needed to come, you needed to relieve the stress that chained you down. Closing your eyes again, you rolled your hips in time with your hand and felt the familiar flutters of an orgasm building.

"Fuck." You breathed.

Flashes of Negan's face flickered through your mind. The way he licked his tongue against his lips, the way he threatened to take you over his knee for disobeying him. You thought about that, about what his hand would feel like on your ass. You remembered how he grunted when he swung Lucille against those cell doors, you wondered if he'd grunt that way when he was taking his anger out on you.

"Ah..." You gasped and sank against the wall as pleasure throbbed inside you like white lightning. Holding the sponge against you until your thighs stopped trembling, you gulped and stood up straight again.

A feeling of shame flooded through you. You shouldn't have been thinking about Negan when you pleasured yourself, you hated his fucking guts. He was determined to make life difficult for you and yet you still fantasised about him, and here you were standing in his shower. Tossing the sponge back onto the shelf, you turned the water off and stepped out onto the tiles.

Squeezing the water out of your hair, you grabbed a towel from the rack beside the sink and wrapped yourself in the fluffy cotton. Looking at yourself in the mirror again, you shook your head.

"Fucking idiot." You muttered, judging your flushed cheeks as you grabbed Negan's toothbrush and began brushing your teeth.

You wondered what he would do when he found out you'd been using his things, alphas were known to be possessive about their belongings. Maybe he would throw a fit and punish you like he promised he'd do, or maybe he'd like it.

You didn't know. But you were sure you'd find out.

Once you were done pampering yourself for the night, you bunched up your clothes in your arms and stepped out into the corridor hesitantly. Looking around for any signs of life, you quickly darted to Negan's quarters and turned the door handle. Shoving against it, you felt panic rise inside yourself when it didn't budge.

Locked.

"Fuck!" Your heart began to race and as you turned to run back into the bathroom, you heard the double doors down the hall open.

And then you saw her.

Sherry.

"He'll be back in ten minutes or so, he has work to finish up." She told you, her doe brown eyes narrowing when she saw how flustered you were. "Do you need a fresh set of clothes? We have more than enough in here, come on."

Gawking at her awkwardly, you nodded wordlessly and ran towards her. The very last thing you wanted was to be caught like this by Negan, you didn't think you'd be able to recover from the embarrassment.

Slipping against the floor from the wet pads of your feet, you glanced at Sherry who looked you over before stepping into the room.

You felt the colour drain from your face when you were greeted with the staring eyes of four other women. Clutching your clothes closer to your damp chest, you stood your ground. These were the wives. You recognised the blonde as Amber, she sat on the black fabric couch next to the door with one bare leg draped over the other. Black heels and a skin tight black dress to match, she dragged her glare up the length of you and raised a brow. The others were also dressed in black, their dresses different designs but all thigh high and tight to show off their curves.

"Here, let me take those." Sherry offered, grabbing the dirty clothes out of your grasp and heading towards a trash can on the opposite side of the room. "Girls, this is Alice."

"Oh."

"So that's who he's been so interested in."

"Mm, didn't pick her for an omega."

You felt them judging you, and turned your attention towards the redhead who stood at the sleek bar on the opposite side of the room. She cleared her throat and sipped at the wine in her glass before nodding at you.

"So, do you bleed like a dog when you're in heat or do you just get really horny and that's it?" She asked, the invasive question accompanied with a sharp tone. "I've never met an omega before, but I heard they get really emotionally unstable."

"Frankie." Sherry glared back at her.

"What? It's a genuine question." She shrugged her off with a smirk. "I'm a beta, so I wouldn't know what it's like to be so... fragile."

You glared over at her, already sensing the tension that hung in the air. She didn't like you, and you didn't like her.

"Nothing about who I am or what I am is any of your goddamn business." You bit back, letting her know you weren't about to sit back and let her belittle you.

"I'll get you some clothes." Sherry sighed and moved past you. She headed towards Frankie and slid behind the bar. You watched as she ducked down to rummage through a few things.

Placing her wine glass down on the bar, the redhead strut over to you confidently and flicked a strand of hair behind her shoulder as she came to stand a little too close for comfort. Leaning in, she sniffed at you like you were a free sample in a beauty store.

"I recognise that scent, did you use Negan's shower?" She frowned and turned to look at the other wives. "She used his shower, we're not even allowed to do that without an invitation. Does he know?"

"She thinks she's above the rules." Amber shrugged as she remained on the couch, glancing up at you with a false smile. "I heard you demanded to be let into the garden after only being here for a day, is that true?"

Blinking over at the blonde, you looked between her and Frankie and rolled your eyes. This wasn't happening, you weren't about to be ganged up on by these beta bitches.

"I just need my clothes, I didn't come here to be interrogated by you." Glaring at Amber, you held the towel to your body as Sherry walked back with a bundle of items in her arms.

"Your clothes?" Frankie snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "No, our clothes. You're lucky Sherry's being so accommodating to you, because if she wasn't here – I'd send you back out there the way you are so Negan could see what a user you are."

Letting out a dry humourless laugh, you smirked at the redhead and raised a brow.

"A user? That's rich coming from you. Don't throw stones at glass houses, bitch." Taking the bundle of clothes from Sherry's arms, you kept your glare trained on Frankie as her lips curled into a scowl.

The tension was turning dangerous and you could sense that you were getting under her skin.

"If I were you, I'd watch my tongue. We're wives and most of us are betas, we're higher ranking than you in status and in blood." She sneered. "You think you're too good to be his wife and yet use his shit, I think you should fuck off back to whatever hole you crawled out of. Negan doesn't need you, we can give him everything he could ever want."

Lifting your chin, you smiled back at her.

"No you can't." You muttered, using the qualities you possessed as an omega to your advantage in the argument. "Negan wants children, and that's something you'll never be able to give him."

Lunging for you with a snarl, Frankie snatched a fistful of your hair and dragged you to the floor. There was chaos in an instant as the others fought amongst each other while trying to pull you and Frankie apart. Her nails dug into your scalp and you growled as you punched her in the face, your knuckles cracking against her nose. She screamed out but didn't let you go, her grip tightening on your hair until your eyes were watering.

"Let her go!" Sherry shouted, grabbing Frankie's wrist in an attempt to free you from her grasp. "That's enough!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill you." You punched her again and again until blood splattered between the two of you, her nose bursting with the hits you delivered.

It was then that a loud boom shook the room and in an instant you were up on your feet again, your head swirling when your gaze focused on Negan.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" He glared at all his wives and then at you, his frown deepening when he saw the blood on your knuckles. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Ask that fucking bitch." You pointed at Frankie who sat on the couch huddled next to Amber, clutching her face dramatically as if she'd just been hit by a sledgehammer. "She started it."

"Sherry." Negan looked to the other wife for answers, his posture tense and angered.

"It was an argument that got out of hand, Frankie mocked Alice for being an omega and it went from there." She explained calmly, shrugging with a shake of her head. "Frankie threw the first hit."

You were relived that at least one of his wives was truthful and had your back, if Sherry hadn't have been there then it could've have been four against one.

"Alice, my quarters." The alpha glanced at you, his eyes dark and his jaw tight. "Now."

You gave Frankie one last glare before doing as you were told. Storming out of the harem, you stomped down the corridor with your new pile of clothes and shoved your way into his apartment. Slamming the door, you quickly moved to your bedroom and dropped the clothes onto your desk.

"Fucking stupid cunt." You growled, wishing you had the chance to really beat the shit out of his wife.

Your heart raced with anger as you stripped the towel from your body and threw it with a grunt. This wasn't how your life was supposed to be, things were just starting to look up for you when you became the leader of Charming, and now it had all went to shit.

Looking through the clothes, you grabbed a pair of baby pink silk shorts and a white tank top. Slipping into them, you sucked in a deep breath and winced as a cramp knotted in your stomach.

"Ah..." You sighed, rubbing at your belly when another rippled through you. "Shit."

It had been two days since you'd taken any suppressants. Your heat could begin at any moment, and the cramps were the first symptom.

Hearing the apartment door slam, you straightened your posture when Negan stormed through to where you stood. You looked up at him as he glared down at you, his hazel eyes hard to read.

"You used my shower." He told you, his voice deep and raspy just as it always was.

Feeling tears prick your eyes, the events of the day were too much. You didn't want another argument, you were tired and sore and so angry.

"Yes, I used your fucking shower because I was cleaning those cells all damn day and I stunk like shit!" Your voice got louder and shaky as you blinked up at him, the tears spilling down your cheeks now. "Then that fire-crotch beta bitch jumped down my throat thinking she was some fucking hot shot! I hate this, I hate all of it. I wanna go home!"

Sobbing now, you didn't even bother to try and mask your emotions. You were exhausted, physically and mentally and having Negan punish you over hot water and soap was the cherry on the shit-cake.

You expected him to tell you to shut up or laugh or do something to make you feel stupid, but instead your breath hitched when he wrapped his arms around you. Large hands stroked your back and through your damp hair, his chest was warm and solid against your face, his white t-shirt proving to be a good tissue for your tears.

"Calm the hell down." He soothed you as he held you, his voice rumbling against your ear as you stayed against him. "I'm not mad that you used my fucking shower, I like that you feel comfortable enough to do that shit. Frankie is... Frankie. I don't give a rats ass what she thinks and neither should you. Goddamn it..."

His voice was softer now as he leaned back to get a look at your face, the red blotches on your cheeks from crying making him sigh.

"Went a little too hard on you, huh?" He reached his thumbs up and stroked your tears away, a smile creeping onto his lips. "Making you miserable wasn't my fucking intention, I didn't want it to be this way. Having you clean cells isn't what I want, you know that. Just let me make things easy for you, let me do my fucking job and bond you to me."

Your lip trembled as you gazed up at him, his eyes were gentle and for the first time you truly felt safe around him. His musky scent was strong, stronger than it usually was and you knew that had to do with the fact that you were nearing your heat.

Sniffling, you smiled and shook your head.

"I can't..."

"Why not?" He ground out, frustrated with you.

"Because you have them." You told him, referencing his wives. "Because I don't know you yet, because you don't know me – because I'm scared that if I let myself trust you, you'll hurt me."

There were so many reasons why you didn't want to be bonded with Negan, but it had never been clearer to you that he was your alpha. You wanted him badly, but you wouldn't give into him until he proved that you were his omega.

Scratching his fingers through the silver scruff of his beard, Negan leaned in and pressed a warm kiss against your forehead.

"Fine. If that's what it takes. You wanna get to know each other, little omega? Let's go on a fucking date." He nodded, sniffing at you. "Tomorrow, you and me and the garden. We'll talk and eat and drink, that alright with you?"

Feeling the dread lift from your shoulders, you felt yourself smile as he towered over you. Butterflies fluttered in your belly and you nodded.

"Good girl." He rumbled, stroking his thumb against your chin. "I'm gonna show you that you can trust me, that's a promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." You murmured, feeling your heart skip a beat when he bent down and hooked an arm under your knees, sweeping you off your feet and up into his arms.

Clinging onto his broad shoulder, you glared at him as he carried you to the bed and lay you down gently.

"Mm, I always follow through with my promises. And I fucking promise you that you'll be mine."

It sounded more like a threat, but there was something in the way that he said it that made your skin prickle. Squeezing your thighs together, you watched him as he leaned back.

"Not if you keep those sour faced bitches." You didn't mean to sound so bitter about it, but you couldn't help yourself after today.

Negan's smile spread into a mischievous grin and he let out a chuckle.

"Is that jealousy I hear, little one?"

"No." You lied.

"There's only one girl I have eyes for and she's bustin' my goddamn balls every step of the way." He shrugged, grabbing his sizeable crotch to emphasise the point.

Your eyes fell down there for a second too long until you caught the imprint of his dick in his jeans. Glancing back up at him, he stared back at you heatedly.

"She sounds like a badass." You breathed, the tension thick in the air.

"Oh, she is." He smirked, licking his tongue against his teeth. "She snuck into my shower and left her sweet scent all over my sponge, and the best part is that she thought I wouldn't notice."

Your smile faded from your face then and you could feel your cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Have sweet, sweet dreams my little omega." His voice was low, the suggestive tone making you gulp. "Oh, and I almost forgot."

You watched as the alpha stripped out of his shirt. Tossing it towards you, he stood tall as you caught it. But your eyes were pinned on him. He was lean and his shoulders broad, the dark hair that covered his chest continued down his slight stomach and trailed down beneath his jeans. You could see his tattoos clearly now, and could tell they were old with how faded they were.

Your mouth went dry and you blinked down at your hands, afraid of your own desires and where they might lead you.

"Night, sweetheart. You know where to find me if you need me."

"Night, Negan." You murmured and clinched your jaw when he left your room and closed the door behind him.

Bringing his shirt up to your nose, you breathed in his scent and closed your eyes. The strong smell of him made your body react. Another cramp twisted inside you and then, and you breathed through it as you rolled onto your side for the night with his shirt tucked under your chin. 

**

A/N: So, updates have been quite frequent this week! I hope I can keep up the pace and have chapter 8 out soon, but anyway, I hope you enjoyed Safe as much as I enjoyed writing it. See, Negan isn't always an asshole. He can be nice when he wants to be. Frankie and Amber are another story though. Let me know what you think! ;)


	9. The Scars of the Past

Sliding the palms of your hands down the curve of your waist, you twisted your lips into an unsure scowl at how the white floral dress you picked out of the bundle of clothes felt on your skin. It had been so long since you had worn something so feminine that it felt completely foreign to you. Stopping just above your bruised knees, the thin material swayed with your movements and wasn’t as tight as the black dresses that the wives wore. 

 _Knock_.  _Knock_.  _Knock_.

Standing in the centre of Negan’s apartment, you flinched at the three loud knocks and quickly made your way to the door where you hesitantly turned the handle and peered out into the corridor.

“Hello to you!” Simon greeted you cheerfully, his bright white smile stretching beneath the dark moustache that made him more noticeable to you than the other Saviours. “Boss wants you downstairs for dinner, and he sent me up here to getcha. You ready, don’t want that juicy steak to go cold?”

You gulped when his strong scent filled you.

 **Alpha**.

“Um, yeah – give me two seconds.” You shut the door on him and closed your eyes as a pang of uncertainty settled in your stomach.

You had somewhat grown used to Negan’s scent that Simon’s gave you a headache. You didn’t know him, and you definitely didn’t trust him. If Negan really cared about your safety, why did he send another alpha to collect you? It didn’t sit well with you, but what choice did you have?

Sucking your lower lip between your teeth, you sighed and pulled the door open again. He stood there, tall and broad and smiling. His deep brown eyes remained on your face as he shifted out of the doorway and waved an arm, ushering you out.

“After you.”

Deciding to shove your fears to the back of your mind, you straightened your posture and strut out into the corridor. Simon kept his distance, walking a few feet behind you, his boots heavy on the hard flooring as you headed for the stairwell.

It didn’t take long to reach the ground floor of the Sanctuary. Five minutes at most, and yet it was the longest walk of your life as you fought against the urge to look over your shoulder.

There weren’t crowds of people filling the main work stations like yesterday, instead there were only a few Saviours who stood and talked with each other, their conversation pausing when they turned to glance at you as you headed towards the door that led outside.

“Let me get that for ya.” Simon towered over you and pushed the steel door open, smiling down at you as you slipped under his arm and out into the cool evening air.

“Thanks.” You mumbled as you gazed up at the greying sky that was lit up with orange streaks from the sun that was beginning to set over the horizon.

Folding your arms around your waist, you strolled along the pathway you’d remembered from your tour and made it around the corner towards the garden. It was then that you stopped in your tracks, surprised by the sight that unfolded in front of you.

“There she is, the very girl I wanted to see.” Negan smirked as he sat at a small round table, stretching his arms out happily.

You stood your ground and resisted the urge to smirk as you glanced at the table, noting the items spread out along it. A candle in the centre and two plates of food, filled with steak and vegetables. It was more food than you were used to seeing, and as much as you missed Charming, you didn’t miss canned soup or beans. This was a treat.

“It smells good.” You nodded, the scent of the meat filling you and making your mouth water.

“You impressed?” He stood to his feet, his leather jacket unzipped to reveal his t-shirt underneath. “You fucking should be, I don’t do this shit for anybody.”

Snorting, you made your way over to the table and glared up at him.

“What, do you want a round of applause?”

He chuckled and grazed his teeth along his lip as he stared at you, not bothering to look up at Simon as he waved a hand, letting him know that it was his cue to leave.

“Damn, you look good. Now this is what I like to see, my women dressed like women and not somebody’s dying grandmother.” He gestured to your dress and dragged his eyes over you, clearly liking the view as he sat back down with Lucille propped up against one of the wooden legs.

Rolling your eyes, you took a seat at the table and wasted no time in grabbing the cutlery that had been laid out. Stabbing at the steak, you cut it into pieces and shovelled it into your mouth. You were starving, and filling the rumbling pit in your stomach was your main priority.

He watched you with amusement as you chewed and swallowed at the steak like you’d never been fed before.

“Better slow down before you choke, would hate to give you CPR on the first date.” He mumbled and lifted his glass of whiskey, taking a sip of the amber liquid before setting it down again.

“Yeah, I’m sure you would.” You told him, sarcasm lacing your voice as you lifted the napkin from the table to dab at your lips. “Why did you send Simon to come for me knowing that he’s an alpha?”

Leaning back in his chair, the bold leader rolled his shoulders into a shrug at your question.

“Simon is my right-hand man, I trust him more than anyone in my ranks. He’s as loyal as loyal fucking gets.” He explained, seeing the doubt in your features. “You don’t need to worry about him if that’s what’s got your panties in a wad.”

Irritation worked its way into your veins again, you wondered how long it would take for him to piss you off.

“Don’t tell me what I need to worry about. I’m not on suppressants anymore thanks to you and I’m close to a heat, so having alphas around me who I don’t know or trust isn’t okay.”

“Jesus, he would never fucking-“ He sighed, looking at you dangerously when you cut him off.

“Never fucking what? Do what alphas are made for and pin me down and knot me? Yeah, that’s what all of you fuckers say.” You bit out, snatching the glass of red wine by your plate and chugging it down in five quick gulps.

Negan narrowed his eyes and waited until you looked towards him again before leaning forward against the table, he was intrigued now and not interested in the food in front of him.

“Is that where you got those scars from?” He asked, nodding down at your stomach.

“I’m not about to talk about this.” You breathed.

“Oh, but yes you fucking are. This is a date, my sweet little omega. This is where we get to know each other, and I think you need to tell me what happened to you.” He told you, the smooth growl to his deep tone letting you know that it wasn’t a request.

“You’re a fucking asshole, I didn’t come here to be interrogated.” You muttered, pushing your plate aside.

“Oh, I’m the asshole?” He snorted and slapped a hand against his solid chest, his brow raising in mock offence at your insult. “Sweetheart, my feelings are hurt. I prepared this whole fucking night for us, in the garden too which by the way I didn’t need to do. We could’ve sat in my office and did this shit, but I’m the asshole who wanted to make you comfortable after yesterday’s mess. And let me remind you that you agreed to this, so cut the bullshit and let’s have a real conversation. As your leader and your alpha, I think you owe me some details about your background.”

Clinching your jaw, you balled your hands into fists which didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“I don’t owe you anything, what is it with alphas who think they deserve everything handed to them on a platter?” You seethed, anger flashing in your eyes again. “You wanna know my past, fine. My father had gambling debts that sky rocketed into the hundreds of thousands, he was a low-life beta who was never in our lives, it got to the point where we didn’t hear from him for four years straight. No birthday cards, no phone-call, nothing. Then one day the men who he owed money to kicked in his door and broke his legs.”

Negan listened intently to your story, never taking his eyes off your face as you let your mind travel back to the worst days of your life.

“They went there to kill him, but my dear old dad knew that these men were alphas and what would an alpha want more than money?” You asked, smirking sadly.

Negan’s jaw tightened when he saw where the story was going.

“So, he made another deal to save his own ass, he told the leader of these alphas named Richie where the family he abandoned lived.”

You paused then and breathed, feeling nauseous even thinking about it.

“So, one night there was a knock on the door and my mother answered it not knowing what was about to happen… they killed her first. She wasn’t omega, but she was in the way and when she tried to fight them off, Richie snapped her neck. Me and my sister were cowering at the top of the stairs, but we saw everything. I was sixteen at the time, and she was eighteen. She was in heat.”

“Alice.” Negan interrupted you and shook his head. “You don’t have to go on, I got the picture.”

Ignoring him, you pressed on.

“We ran into her bedroom and climbed out the window, and jumped to the ground. I ran so fast that I couldn’t feel my legs, and we made it into the forest outside our house when one of the alphas tackled me from behind. Richie and the other alpha caught Elaina.” Sucking in a breath, you closed your eyes when you felt tears well up. “The alpha who grabbed me tore the clothes from my body and sank his nails into my stomach and hips as he tried to mount me, but I fought him. I kicked and I clawed and I bit him until I tasted blood, but he wouldn’t budge. Elaina couldn’t fight back because one alpha held her hands down while Richie…”

You stopped then and looked at Negan, tears sliding down your cheeks.

“Her screams were like nothing I’ve ever heard before, they ripped her insides apart and they fucking  _laughed_.” Shaking your head, you lifted your hands to wipe at the tears on your face. “I managed to grab a sharp rock and stabbed it into the alpha’s eye over and over again until he slumped to the side, and that’s when I ran. Elaina was dead, there was nothing I could’ve done to save her. I bled so much that night. I thought I was gonna die, and I collapsed on a road somewhere and a passer-by took me to the hospital.”

Negan was silent, his hazel eyes softer now as sympathy lingered within them.

“I am so sorry.” He mumbled solemnly.

“Don’t be, it’s over and now you know my story. This is what you wanted, me to open up to you – so here you fucking go.” You shrugged, bitterness lingering in your voice as you looked back at him. “I’m damaged goods, Negan. I always will be. I’m not the omega of your fantasies, I’m…”

“Perfect.” He interrupted you with a nod.

Frowning, you watched as he stood to his feet, all six-foot-two of him. Your eyes followed him as he moved around the table to get to you, his familiar scent filling your lungs again.

“We all got shit that sticks with us, some of us are better at dealing with it than others. That’s just the way it is in this world, you deal with it or you don’t and let it suck you dry. And as much as what happened to you is fucked up and goddamn horrific – you’re still here. That’s gotta count for something.” Offering his large hand to you, he smirked as you reluctantly took it and stood to face him. “You’re a survivor, and a badass all wrapped up into one pretty little package. I know that what we have between us is overwhelming as shit, and I am well aware that you’re not ready for that bond just yet – but I’m a patient man, Alice. I’ll wait as long as it takes for you to come to me, and when you do, we’ll be fucking spectacular.”

You smiled and held onto his words, not with dread but with hope. Maybe this could work out after-all, maybe this was your chance to heal the wounds from your past and accept the future.

“Maybe we will.” You nodded and flinched when he leaned in and pressed a kiss against your forehead, the soft tickle of his silver stubble making you lose focus.

“Come on, it’s getting late.” Turning to grab Lucille, the tall alpha slid a hand against the centre of your back and led you back to the Sanctuary’s door. “We have a big day tomorrow, well, I do.”

His scent surrounded you, the feeling of his lips on your forehead still lingering as he escorted you into the old steel factory again.

All eyes were on you again, some stared and whispered while others glanced and looked away. Negan didn’t pay attention to any of them, instead his strides were long and confident as was his whistle as he made his way up the steel stairs with you by his side. Trying your best to ignore the Saviours, you held your breath until he led you back into the dim corridors of the second floor.

“What do you mean by big day?” You finally asked him as his strides slowed to a stroll.

“It’s supply-run tomorrow.” He grinned down at you, a sadistic glint in his eye as he did so. “It’s when we travel to all our communities and take our share of shit, but you already know that. Don’t worry, Charming ain’t on my list for another month.”

You felt your heart skip a beat at the mention of your community and wondered how they were managing now that you were here at the Sanctuary.

“Take me with you?” You asked him.

“No.” Pressing his lips into a firm line, Negan glared at you. “You’ll stay here and you’ll stay in this room until I get back, no exceptions.”

Sighing with a roll of your eyes as he unlocked his apartment door and strolled inside, you followed behind and shoved the door shut again.

“But I can help, I was a leader too, even if it was just for a month.” You argued.

Negan laughed then, the dimples beneath his facial hair exposing themselves as he looked at you.

“Yeah, a shit one. You’re not going and that’s that, don’t fight me on it either because you’ll waste your fucking breath.” He told you, not willing to hear you out as he shrugged his leather jacket off and threw it on the foot of his bed. “If you need anything, there’s a walkie-talkie in the bedside cabinet. Fat Joseph will be your personal slave for the day, don’t say I’m not good to you.”

Clinching your jaw, you sighed and shrugged your shoulders.

“What if I just stay in the truck?”

“Alice, sweetheart. I said no, and when I say no I mean hell fucking no. You seriously want to go out there when you’re so close to your heat? I have several alphas in my ranks, and who fucking knows how many are in each of these communities.” Reaching for his belt, he unbuckled the leather and pulled it from his jeans before tossing it aside. “Don’t ask again.”

Your eyes lingered on the front of his jeans for a little longer than you intended, the imprint of his dick revealing itself to you. Blinking away before you lost yourself in a fantasy, you huffed as you walked towards your bedroom.

“Before you go get all naked and put on my shirt for the night, you do know you don’t have to sleep in that uncomfortable fucking bed.” His eyes ran over the back of you as you stood in the doorway of the room. His voice was low and raspy, and washed over you like liquid gold. “You can sleep with me if you want, it’s much comfier – hell, you don’t even need to wear that shirt when you have me next to you.”

You stood there for a minute, really giving yourself time to think about his offer. It was tempting enough where you considered it, but you knew that it was the heat that drew you to him.

“I can’t.” You murmured, peering over your shoulder at him as he unzipped his grey jeans and kicked his boots off.

“I won’t touch you, not without your word.” He said. “You know that, right?”

Nodding, you kept your gaze trained on him as he let his jeans drop around his ankles before kicking them aside. Feeling your mouth water as you glanced at his boxer shorts that hung loose and low on his hips, you looked up at his face again before temptation got the better of you.

“I know. I just… I can’t.” You inhaled a breath and smiled at him before sliding into your room and closing the door behind you. “Goodnight, Negan.”

“Night, darling.”

Leaning back against the wood, you sank your teeth into your lower lip and tried your best to ignore the warm stirring sensation that filled your belly. Stripping the dress from your body, you threw it on the desk and kicked the muddy boots from your feet before looking for his shirt. Pulling at the covers on your bed, you found the white fabric scrunched between the bedframe and mattress.

Lifting it to your face, you inhaled him and felt your knees weaken.

 _Baked bread, natural musk, leather and spice_.

Crawling up the bed, you slid beneath the covers with his shirt in your hands.

This time you didn’t put it on, this time you slid the shirt between your thighs and arched your back as you pleasured yourself to the scent and memories of Negan. It didn’t take long for you to orgasm and you sank your teeth into your fist so that you didn’t make a sound, but this time you weren’t fully satisfied as you came down from your high.

There was still a deep ache that lingered inside you, and it was then that you knew that your heat was finally beginning to kick in.

******

_Negan sensed it before you did. He could smell the heat in your skin, in your hair. He could see it in your eyes and in the way you looked at him_ ,  _that fiery lust that made you even more tempting to him than you already were. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he lay naked in his bed, his eyes darkening with a primal need to make you his. If he let the beast inside of him take control, he would have kicked down your bedroom door and mounted you. He would have fucked you deep and knotted you, and there would’ve been nothing you could do about it._

_But he contained himself._

_He was a mature alpha who had years of experience behind him, your heat was almost unbearable to ignore, but he suppressed that urge and spit in his hand instead, working his fist beneath the sheets and stroking his dick firmly as he thought about you. He grunted as he furrowed his brow, images of you spread beneath him making him come undone quickly._

_He knew you were worth waiting for, and so that’s what he would do until you were ready._


	10. The Ultimate Betrayal

“Get up.”

Frowning when you heard his voice interrupt the dream that danced behind your eyelids, you reluctantly peered up to see Negan standing at the foot of your bed. He dragged his fingers over the bottom of the mattress and stared at you, his dark eyes like steel in this light.

“What time is it?” You asked groggily and pulled yourself up into a sitting position, feeling more exhausted now than you had yesterday. Rubbing a hand against the back of your neck, you sighed and stopped yourself from engaging in conversation when you saw the uneasy look he gave you.

“It’s seven o’clock, Fat Joey’s gonna bring you breakfast if he hasn’t already swallowed the damn plate.” He stated, irritation in his raspy voice as he glared back at you. “You’ll eat everything that’s provided for you.”

We’re all set, boss. Just waiting for the order.

 

Glancing down at the walkie talkie that was hooked into one of his belts, you remembered what he’d said last night. Today was the day for supply-runs, but that was the least of your concerns. There was something off about him, about the way he looked at you was cold.

“I’m not hungry.” You mumbled. “Tell him not to bother.”

He didn’t answer you straight away, and instead yanked the walkie talkie up to his mouth.

“Give me five minutes, I got shit to take care of.”

Yes, sir.

You swallowed and pulled your knees up, encasing them with your arms. The tension was thick in the air as he stood there like you had done something to wrong him, like he was ready to snap if you said the wrong thing. It had to be the heat – could he smell it? You guessed that he could, he was after all a damn alpha and the aggression that rolled off him was so palpable you could almost taste it.

“Jesus.” He snorted humourlessly and lowered his head. “Not even so much as a fucking thank you.”

An uncomfortable silence flooded the room as you gazed back at him, uneasiness pooling in your stomach as he pressed his lips into a firm line before glaring back at you.

“I’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you in my home, I even went extra easy on you when you had your little emotional breakdown. I gave you the garden, I even fed you the best of the fucking best – and you are still a fucking ungrateful brat.” He smirked, all teeth and no amusement as he made his way towards you.

“You can’t be serious.” You were stunned and hurt that he was throwing his generosity in your face like you owed him something. “I didn’t ask for any of this, you arrogant asshole!”

You flinched when he reached across the bed and grabbed at your wrist, his thick fingers yanking you from the sheets.

“Get your fucking hands off me.” You seethed and tried your best to fight against him, but his strength was too much for you to hold your own. “Asshole!”

Stumbling to your feet before him, you felt your brave outburst sink along with your heart when the cool air kissed at your bare thighs and stomach.

“Time for a quick refresher course on who the fuck you’re talking to.” He growled out through his teeth and a strand of dark hair came loose from his slicked back style, falling across his forehead as he sat back on the bed. “You had your chance to act right, and you fucking failed. Come here.”

Yanking you forward, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you across his lap with ease. Coughing out a breath as you collided with his solid thighs, you winced and clung to one of his boots as your face dangled inches from the floor.

“Shit – I’m sorry. Negan, stop!” You cried out and squeezed your eyes shut when you felt the leather of his glove smoothing across your bare ass cheeks.

“Too late for that shit.” He seethed, the frustration bubbling out from his normally cool exterior.

Smack!

You yelped out when he brought his big hand down on your ass, the instant sting and heat of the slap radiating through your skin as you tried and failed to wriggle free from his hold.

Smack!

“Fuck!” You screamed and clung to his leg, your nails digging into his grey jeans in a last ditch attempt to get him to let you go.

But he didn’t budge, not even for a second.

“You’ll fucking think about the way you talk to me next time, won’t you?” He snarled, smacking you again when you didn’t answer quick enough. “WON’T YOU?”

“Yes!” You yelled as the tears began to well up in your eyes. It hurt badly, he had power behind each hit that made your breath hitch in your throat, but heat flooded between your thighs.

This was punishment. But it was also fantasy. Flashbacks of being in his shower resurfaced, the way you pressed his sponge between your thighs as you imagined this exact scenario.

No. You weren’t about to give in, not like this.

He was a fucking asshole, he had his harem of cunts at his disposal.

You were in heat.

“Please, I’m sorry – I’m so sorry. Sto-o-op!” You begged and choked out a sob as a mix of dangerous emotions and instincts clouded your mind.

“Say.”

Smack!

“Sorry.”

Smack!

“One.”

Smack!

“Last.”

Smack!

“Fucking.”

Smack!

“Time.”

Smack!

Your ass was raw and you were breathless, the throbbing of his punishment and the throbbing between your legs too much to handle.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” You choked out and sank your teeth into your lower lip.

It all stopped then, as quick as it started. But he didn’t let you get up. His hand smoothed over the red handprints he had left behind, massaging the marks that would turn to bruises in the hours and days to come.

“Good girl.” He breathed, his voice deep as his fingers strayed to the back of your thighs, the shiny sheen of your arousal staining them. “Oh, sweetheart. Look at this mess.”

You flinched and shifted your weight against his thighs, feeling his dick press against your abdomen as you leaned up to look at him. His fingers were coated with you, and your cheeks burned bright with embarrassment as he lifted them and inhaled a deep breath.

“Negan – what are you…” Your sentence died when you watched him suck his fingers into his mouth, his eyes fluttering closed as he swallowed the sticky wet substance down hungrily.

You should have been disgusted by it, but the voice in your head told you to spread your legs for him and let him lick the rest of it from you until you were clean.

Snapping yourself out of it when he opened his eyes again, your heart fluttered when he glared back at you with a smouldering look.

You wanted it.

You weren’t ready.

Fear replaced your arousal at the thought of him forcing himself on you in a moment of vulnerability, and he sensed it.

Letting his grip on you go instantly, he let you slide from his lap to the floor and adjust yourself.

“It’s gonna be sore to sit on that ass for a while, and it’s what you deserve for being a sassy little asshole.” He grunted and stood to his feet, adjusting the bulge in his jeans as he did so. “And there’s more of that shit if you don’t do what you’re told.”

As quickly as the heated exchange began between the two of you, it was over as he rolled the tension out of his broad shoulders and sighed.

“Eat the food, stay in this room. It ain’t fucking rocket science.” Strolling towards the door, he paused by where you kneeled on the floor and gently ran his fingers through your hair. “You did good, didn’t even bawl your eyes out like I expected you to, but next time will be a different story if you don’t follow the rules. You understand me, girl?”

Glancing up at him, you had to physically restrain yourself from shuddering at the electric spark that shot through you at his touch. It was infuriating. You wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but you knew that would be a huge mistake – so you nodded instead and watched as he left you on the floor, red raw and flustered.

**

Eight hours had passed since Negan had followed through with his threats of a punishment, and your mind was still playing it out step-by-step. Your heat really had affected him just as much as it affected you, well, maybe not as much, but he had changed. He was less tolerable, more aggressive and even bigger of an asshole than he normally was.

You sighed to yourself as you lay across his couch, nose deep in some fashion magazine about supermodels. You wondered briefly if any of the women on these pages had made it in the new world, or if they were walkers now and if they were walkers, did they still have six-inch heels on?

Hearing a knock at the door, you sprang up into a sitting position and winced at the still sensitive flesh of your ass. Throwing the magazine on the coffee table that was littered with plates, none of them with remaining food on them just like Negan had ordered, you stood up and headed to see who it was.

If it was another food delivery from Fat Joey, you could’ve seen yourself throwing up in his face. Pulling on the handle, a friendly smile plastered your face before you were met with the red-headed demon of harem hell.

Closing the door on her, you scowled when she stopped the wood with her foot.

“Wait, hear me out omega.”

“What the fuck do you want, Frankie?” You huffed and yanked the door open again, feeling the need to crack her in the nose again just for having the nerve to even face you again.

“I think the question is, what do you want?” She asked, standing with her hip jutted out to the side and something clutched in her hand.

Throwing the white bottle at you, she smiled when you caught it.

“What is this?” You frowned, glaring at her suspiciously. “Poison?”

“Ha, I wish… but no.” She shrugged and nodded towards the bottle in your hands. “Those, sweet Alice, are the suppressants you so desperately want. I thought I’d do the humane thing and fetch those for you while the big man is off working for us. Don’t worry, the secret is between us.”

She winked at you, and you felt physically sick by the fake sweetness she exuded like a fucking rattle snake.

“Yeah fucking right, why would you wanna help me?” You sneered, looking her up and down.

“I don’t.” She stated. “I want to help myself.”

“And that means?”

“It means that you take those suppressants and suppress that heat of yours, and Negan comes back to us.” She nodded. “I mean, you don’t even want to fuck him – he basically kidnapped you from your community and holds you captive in here like some slave. I don’t feel sorry for you, so don’t get that impression. I’m just sick and tired of seeing my man wait for you to snap into super omega mode and bond to him, when he already has five bonds with his wives that he’s neglecting.”

You shifted your gaze between the bottle of pills and to the redhead, and it was then that you realised just what she was saying.

“Wait – Negan isn’t sleeping with any of you?”

“Nope.” She popped the ‘p’ with her lips and glared at you. “He hasn’t bothered to give us any real personal attention since you were dragged in from the dirt.”

Good, you thought. She didn’t deserve to spend time with Negan, even picturing her rubbing up against him made the hairs on your body stand on end in jealousy.

“Okay.” You nodded. “Thanks for these, but please don’t ever breathe in my direction again.”

And with that, you shut the door and turned with the bottle in your hand. “Fucking skank.”

Moving back towards the couch, you sat down and twisted your lips, conflicted on what to do now. It was too late to stop your heat this month, it had already started, even though you hadn’t been through the worst of it yet. But taking a pill could dull down the effects, maybe stop you from wanting to bury your face into Negan’s beard and have his scent all over you.

“Fuck.” You huffed, throwing yourself back against the cushions.

**

Two more hours passed, and you’d gone from staring at the suppressants in your hand to staring at the bottle on the coffee table. You’d listed off all positives and negatives, and still couldn’t decide what to do. If you took a pill, Negan probably wouldn’t know while your hormones were so chaotic – but there was a chance that he could smell it.

But if you did take your suppressants, you’d be able to think a little clearer.

“Goddamn it.” You muttered and unscrewed the top, popping a pill out into your hand and narrowing your eyes at it.

What if it was poison?

Grinding your teeth together, you rolled your eyes and shoved the pill back into the bottle. You couldn’t do it. The thought of Frankie getting her way was enough of a turn-off, that and the fact that you were warming to Negan which was something you couldn’t fully admit to yourself yet.

Alpha.

My Alpha.

The door swung open then and your eyes widened when Negan stormed into the room, Lucille in one hand coated with blood that matched the colour of his scarf.

“I should’ve known that as soon as I turned my back, you’d pull a stunt like this. I knew you were stubborn, but I didn’t pick you for a fucking thief.” He snarled, his jaw hanging loose and his eyes wild as he glanced at the bottle on the table. “Suppressants.” He let out a dry chuckle.

Your heart leapt into your throat then when he swung Lucille and cracked the wooden post of his bed, grunting out as blood flew through the air.

Frankie. She’d set you up big time.

“Negan, I didn’t take them.” You told him, not getting too close in fear that he would attack you out of rage. “I didn’t-“

“Get out.” He bit out and lifted a hand to smooth through his scruff. “Go on, get the fuck out and take those suppressants with you. You’re gonna need them when you’re working for points.”

You felt tears prick your eyes and shook your head at his refusal to even look at you.

“Frankie did this, she brought them to me – I didn’t take them.” You murmured and reluctantly moved closer when he dropped Lucille by his side. “She set me up.”

He looked at you then, his hazel eyes wide with what looked like hurt.

“Carson told me you went to him after I left.” He ground out. “He said you told him you never had any fucking intention of being mine, that you’d rather work in those cells for the rest of your life than bond with me. And here you are, lying to my fucking face and trying to blame Frankie. Get. Out.”

Tears fell from your eyelashes at the story he told you.

“I’ve never met Carson… you have to believe me.”

“No, I sure as shit don’t.” He looked at you like you were a piece of shit on the bottom of his boot as he grabbed your arm and yanked you towards the door, pushing you out into the corridor before slamming the door in your face.

Your heart was broken.

You felt as though you had just lost the love of your life before you even got the chance to love him in the first place. And it was her fault. Tears soaked your cheeks as you turned to look down the corridor at the harem.

Frankie stood in the doorway, her arms folded and a smug grin painting her features before she slid back inside the room and shut the door.

You were going to kill her. You didn’t know how or when, but you wanted to taste her blood in your mouth when you bit her throat out for taking what was yours.


	11. Room 187

“This uh, this is goin’ to be your new room.” Fat Joseph looked down at you through his glasses and pressed his lips together awkwardly. He didn’t know what to say to you, but he could see you needed some sort of encouragement. “It’s not so bad, ya know. The people in here, they’re good.” He nodded.

You were as white as a sheet of paper and a deep sickness settled inside your stomach as you struggled to understand how things could’ve gone so wrong so quickly.

“Thank you, Joey.” You mumbled without looking up at him, not sure you wouldn’t burst into tears again if you did, and strolled into the cramped room.

It was grey and dull, and had two metal bunkbeds on the opposite side of each wall, not leaving much room to move around without bumping into something. Glancing over your shoulder as Joey closed the flimsy door behind him, you sighed deeply.

“If anyone was gonna be sent down here, I sure as hell didn’t think it was gonna be you.”

Sucking in a gasp at the sudden voice that broke through the quiet, you whipped around to see Louise sitting up on the leftside bunkbed.

“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me.” You breathed, your shoulders slumping at the relief of seeing a familiar face. “This is your room?”

“Yep. Room 187, this is where the action happens.” She muttered sarcastically, her tongue pressing into the corner of her lip as she carved into an apple with a pocket knife. “So, what did you do to piss him off?”

Biting down on your teeth, you dragged your feet through the tight space that separated each bed and sat down on the bottom bunk, wincing as the springs squealed in protest.

“ _I_ didn’t do anything.” You muttered and pulled yourself against the uncomfortable mattress to sit with your back to the wall. “…It was Frankie, she got hold of suppressants somehow and gave them to me, acted as if she was doing me a fucking favour. Should’ve known she was up to something. She must’ve told Negan I stole them, and now he thinks I’m some lowlife thief. I’m gonna kill that skank if it’s the last thing I do in this place.”

Louise snorted from above you then, and you kept your eyes on the bottoms of her boots as they dangled from the upper bunk.

“Yeah, sounds like Frankie alright. That girl has been trouble since the moment she showed up here with her boyfriend… Max, I think that what his name was. Poor son of a bitch.” The woman explained as she chewed on an apple slice. “Ya see, Frankie stole a shitload of supplies from the kitchen stock and when Negan found out about it, he was gonna throw her ass down in the cells. But she put the blame on Max, made up a lie that he’d raped her and forced her to steal for him – so, Negan did exactly what he does with all rapists. He beat him to death with Lucille in front of  _everybody_ , and it was a slow death too. Can still smell the blood now and that was over six months ago now.”

You gulped back the disgust in your throat as you pictured the scene in your head, almost hearing wood and barbed wire against bone and brain.

“Wait, how do you know she was lying?” You asked.

“’Cause the dumbass admitted to it, bragged about it to some other Saviour and word got around – she said she didn’t even need to try to be his wife, he just took her in when her poor mate was suffocating on his own blood.”

You paused and scowled, your hands tightening into fists as her smug face flashed in your mind again.

“Does Negan know about this?” You asked.

“No, and don’t be getting any ideas either. You tell him this right now after he already thinks you’ve stolen from him, then he’s gonna think you’re a liar too.” She warned you. “That could land you in deeper shit, and you don’t want that. Trust me.”

“He already does think I’m a liar.” You murmured sadly, blinking at your hands when another detail found its way into your mind again “…Who’s Carson?”

“He’s the doctor here.” Louise mumbled around another piece of apple. “Why, you need to see him?”

“ _No_.” You quickly shut that question down. “Negan said… he said that Carson told him I had went and asked for suppressants and that I told him I didn’t want to be his omega. It’s all bullshit, I didn’t leave that room for a second.”

“Frankie must’ve bribed him with somethin’.” She huffed. “There are people inside these walls that really have it out for you, Alice. You gotta be careful who you surround yourself with after today.”

You knew that from the moment you stepped foot in the Sanctuary. The Saviours were ruthless, they took what they earned. The glares and whispers that followed you around the steel factory were enough to make you never want to leave this room, and if Frankie wanted rid of you, there had to be others. Being the only omega here and being in the early stages of heat were factors that could get you in the kind of trouble you didn’t even want to consider.

“He said he’d protect me from the others while I stayed here.” You said, shaking your head as tears pricked your eyes again. “Do you think he’ll just turn his back on me if another alpha tries to force a bond on me?”

There was a silence that fell in the room and it rattled you.

“No, ‘course not.” She told you, but the uncertainty in her voice was as clear as a summer’s day. “Listen, Negan might be pissed off but he wouldn’t just stand back and let some alpha take advantage of you, he don’t tolerate that barbaric crap.”

You wished you could have believed her, but you didn’t.

You wanted to trust Negan, but you couldn’t.

“I can’t stay here…” You whispered. “I need to go home.”

“You can’t leave.” Louise slowly slid down from the top bunk and fell to her feet, grunting as she grabbed the railing for support. “He’ll track you down and he’ll end up killing your people if you betray him, you know that right?”

Staring up into the beady blue eyes of the older woman, you nodded wordlessly.

“What do I do now?” You shrugged, feeling more helpless than you ever had before. “I can’t just sit in this room for the rest of my fucking life, Louise.”

“You’ll work with me, or Sarah or Bethany.” She said. “Those two girls live in this room too, you can trust ‘em. Sarah works in the kitchen and Bethany is one of the gate attendants, both better options than cleanin’ them goddamn cells all day.”

Just then, the door swung open and a young woman walked in, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw you.

She was tall and thin, her skin was golden brown and her wild black hair was slicked back into a ponytail.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me.” She looked panicked by your presence and glanced out into the corridor one final time before quickly shutting the door. “What the hell is she doing here, we can’t have an omega in our room, it puts a target on our backs Louise.”

You raised your brows at the less than welcoming manner she greeted you with and looked to Louise who rolled her eyes in response.

“Alice, this is Bethany.” She nodded towards the young woman. “And don’t you start your shit, she’s been put here and so she’s stayin’.”

“Not on my damn bunk.” The woman muttered, glaring at you like you were a thorn in her side.

“She’s on my bunk, so quit your bitchin’.”

Folding your arms across your chest, you realised how claustrophobic this room was and sat back down.

“If I could leave this place, I would.” You told Bethany, not wanting to make another enemy in the Sanctuary when you were as vulnerable as you were.

Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

“You’re in heat, this room is filled with your damn scent. You got suppressants?” She asked you, her eyes darkening.

“What are you?” Your eyes narrowed as you stared up at her, realising that she bared a similar condition unlike Louise. “Beta?”

“Alpha.” She corrected you.

Your heart almost stopped and you tensed instantly as she glared at you.

“Oh, fuck off – I’m not a  _lesbian_.” She snorted as if she was offended that you thought she was interested in you. “Your scent is just distracting, that’s all. I haven’t been around an omega in a long ass time, you’re lucky I don’t have a dick. So, you got suppressants or not?”

“I’m not taking suppressants.” You straightened your posture. “Doubt they’d work when I’m already into my cycle anyway.”

“Bullshit.” Bethany smirked and stepped past Louise to get to her bunk. “They’d work just fine, you just don’t wanna take them ‘cause of Negan.”

You looked at her and watched as she climbed up to the top bunk.

“That’s not true.” You bit out.

“Oh, yeah it is. You want him to knot you and you want him to bond you to him, if you didn’t then you wouldn’t have a problem shovelling those pills down your lying throat.” She said casually, sitting up against her pillows as she looked down at you. “What I don’t understand is if you want him to fuck you, why the hell did you steal that bottle in the first place? Word travels fast in this place, and the rumour is you went to Carson.”

“She did  _not_.” Louise rolled her eyes and glanced up at her. “Frankie stole them, the whole reason she’s down here in the first place is ‘cause of that meddling bitch.”

Bethany groaned at the mention of Negan’s wife’s name and twisted her features into a scowl.

“You serious? Oh man, I can’t stand that good for nothin’ rat.” She ground out. “I tell you something, if she hadn’t have landed herself in that cosy wife role upstairs, I’d have poisoned her tampons.”

You couldn’t help but snort out a laugh and were comforted by the fact that you weren’t the only one here who despised the redhead.

“I hate her.” You mumbled. “I wish I’d never opened the door to her, none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t been so stupid.”

“Oh no, girl. This would’ve happened at some point, she’s a master manipulator and she wants Negan to herself. Always has since the moment she got here.” Bethany explained. “But we all know he’s  _yours_ , whether you wanna admit it or not.”

Louise smiled sweetly at you and nodded in agreement.

“I saw the way he looked at you in those cells, you know. He ain’t ever looked at a girl like that in the time I’ve known him. He’s got a soft spot for you.” She said.

“Not anymore, he hates my fucking guts.” You chuckled sadly.

“He doesn’t hate you, if he really hated your guts then you’d be in a cell right now bathing in your own shit.” Bethany huffed. “He’s probably just angry as fuck ‘cause of what Frankie told him and because you haven’t let him fuck you yet. What’s up with that anyway, if you want him as your alpha then you should let him mount you… especially now that you’re in heat.”

You shook your head and lay back on the bed and looked up at the bed above you.

“It’s complicated.”

“No, it isn’t – it’s very simple. He might be pissed off, but he wants you and you want him. Don’t let that stupid redheaded thunder cunt get in the way of that bond, omega.” Bethany leaned off her bunk and glared at you. “It’s the stupidest thing you could do, especially if your instincts are telling you he’s the one.”

You clinched your jaw and flung your hands up in the air in frustration.

“So, what the fuck am I supposed to do?” You growled out. “Go up there and beat her ass and beg Negan to take me back? I won’t make a fucking fool out of myself.”

“No, you do the exact opposite.” She smirked. “Let me tell you a little something about us alphas, we expect our partners to come to us – we don’t have to put in the work because betas and omegas are drawn to dominance. And you omegas were born to submit, it’s in your nature. Negan’s probably sitting up there thinking you’re gonna show your face again, and beg for his forgiveness. In fact, I bet he’s countin’ on it. But you’re not gonna do that.”

Raising a brow, you leaned up and looked at Bethany as she kept her gaze trained on you.

“You’re gonna go about your day like nothing’s happened. You’ll go to work, you’ll eat in the cafeteria and you’ll act like you’re just one of the Saviours. It’ll drive him fucking nuts, trust me.” She chuckled.

“I can’t do that, I’m in heat – what if some alpha attacks me in front of everybody?”

“Negan won’t let that happen, because you’re  _his_. He might’ve thrown you down here, but he didn’t put you in a room by yourself. He’s not stupid, he put you with us because there’s safety in numbers.” She told you. “Because Louise isn’t like us, because Sarah is a beta and because I’m not drawn to omegas who have pussies.”

You took a long moment to think over what Bethany said, and realised that she was probably right about everything. You hadn’t thought about it like that, but it made sense. If Negan didn’t give a shit, he wouldn’t have cared which room you wandered into.

Maybe there was hope.

“I think you might be onto something.” A hint of a smile tugged at your lips.

The door opened again, and another woman walked in. Blonde, short and curvy. She had a jar of peanut butter under one arm and a book in her other hand when she looked at you. This must have been Sarah.

“Oh, wow. You’re bunk buddies with us, huh?” She asked and tutted. “I heard an interesting story in the kitchen today. I heard you stole from Negan, that is wild!”

“She did not.” Both Louise and Bethany chimed in together.

You breathed in deeply and rubbed at your temples, your head pounding from the events of the day that had taken a toll on you.

“Frankie stole from Negan, not me.” You corrected the young woman.

“Oh, that makes sense.” She nodded, her voice sweet and light as she moved past Louise towards the bunk beneath Bethany. “I also heard that Negan’s going to  _Charming_ for supplies tomorrow, a town named Charming.” She let out a laugh. “Funny, huh?”

You shot up like a bullet at the mention of your community and looked across to Sarah who flinched at your reaction.

“Charming’s my town.” You breathed. “He said he wasn’t going back for a few weeks, that can’t be right.”

Blinking at you and then to Louise, Sarah smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe I picked it up wrong?” She asked. “It was Simon who was talking about it outside the pantry, I might’ve just got the details mixed up.”

Standing up, you moved towards the door.

“I need to talk to him.” You muttered, anger and fear rising in your chest.

“Don’t do it, omega.”

Turning to glare up at Bethany, you blinked when she returned your gaze.

“Just hold back and wait, it could be bullshit. The last thing you want to do is ask an aggravated alpha about his work plans. That could backfire on you big time.” She said. “In his mind, you’ve stole from him and lied to him… the last thing you want to do right now is demand answers about your community when it’s all just hearsay. Wouldn’t even matter to him that you’re an omega at that point, he could kill you where you stand.”

You gulped and stood there for a good minute, shifting your weight from one foot to the other as conflicted thoughts raced through your mind. What if he did go back to Charming? Could Cole have fixed everything in the few days that you’d been held here in the Sanctuary? It might not have even been true. Sighing, you returned to your bunk and sat back down.

“If he hurts any of them…” You shook your head. “They’re mostly women and children, why would he be so  _cruel_.”

“Calm down, Alice. You don’t know what’s truth and what isn’t at this point, just relax.” Louise leaned in and patted your shoulder. “It’s been a long day for all of us, get some sleep and we’ll decide who you’re workin’ with tomorrow.”


	12. Hunger

_"Fuck me, please – please." You begged, panting out breaths as Negan snatched your ankles in his big hands, tugging you towards him as he stood at the side of his bed._

_He didn't say a word as he glared down at you, his hazel eyes black in the candlelight that flickered through his apartment. Spreading your legs wide, he leaned over you and nuzzled his face into your neck, his beard tickling your ear as he let out a rumbled growl._

_"Who do you belong to?"_

_"You." Your voice was barely a whisper._

_"Say it. Say my fucking name, darlin'." He ground out._

_"Negan... Negan." You sighed, encircling his shoulders with your arms when he pulled back to look you in the eye._

**_Richie_ ** _._

_You screamed out in panic as the beady eyed alpha sank his claws into your belly, tearing at the already scarred flesh. Blood pooled out around you, soaking the sheets crimson as he laughed manically._

_"Alice..."_

_"Stop!"_

"Alice!" Louise yanked you up by your shirt, her worried gaze scanning your face in the dim light. "It's alright, you're having a nightmare."

Your chest heaved as you looked around you, taking in the sight of the cramped bedroom again. The tension in your body faded as you let out a breath.

"Sorry." You mumbled, wiping at the sweat and tears that stained your face. "Did I wake you up?"

"You were screamin' the place down, I'd be surprised if you didn't wake everyone on this side of Sanctuary up." She told you. "Don't matter now, it's time to get up anyway... what was that all about?"

You smiled up at the woman and shook your head.

"Nothing, I'm fine." You moved to climb out of bed, flinching when Bethany jumped down from the opposite bunk.

"You're such a shit liar, you know that? I could smell the fear on you from up there, somethin' rattled you big time." She looked you over and leaned in close, raising her brow curiously. "Were you dreamin' of Negan's big thick knot?"

"God, that is  _vile_." Sarah bit out as she sat in her bunk reading a book, her blue gaze judging Bethany from the shadows. "You need Jesus in your life, honey."

"Oh, shut the hell up – just because you're a prude don't mean everyone else is."

You rolled your eyes at the bickering and stretched your arms out, glancing between each of the three women in your company. They really weren't a bad bunch at all, you felt like one of them which made this new living arrangement easier.

"When you two stop arguing over knots, can you please tell me who I'm working with today?" You asked.

"Me." Sarah nodded, closing her book and tossing it aside. "The kitchen is probably the best place for you, Alice. There's so many delicious scents in the air that alphas won't even know you're around."

Licking your tongue into the side of your lips, you didn't argue with that logic. You weren't a good cook, but you'd try anything if it managed to distract you from the war that was raging on inside your body. Today you felt weaker and sweatier, your nerve endings were buzzing and the dull ache between your thighs was only getting stronger.

"Be prepared to see him." Louise told you as she put her glasses back on her face. "Negan wanders around the Sanctuary through the day when he ain't out there with the other communities, likes seein' if things are runnin' as they should be."

You almost felt relieved that there might've been a chance that you could see him again, but those thoughts snapped out of your head when you were reminded of what Sarah had said last night.

"But Charming..." You frowned, shaking your head.

"You'll know if those rumours are true or not if you see him." Bethany told you.

"Or hear him, he likes to whistle." Sarah added.

"I know." You said.

Two loud knocks rattled the flimsy door then and you jumped.

_Get ta work, it's inspection day and Negan wants to see this place in tip-top condition!_

The loud masculine voice was muffled as he shouted through orders.

"Well..." Louise moved past you, and shrugged. "Guess the rumours were just that, rumours. Let's get out of here, girls – we got points to earn."

**

The walk to the kitchen was slow as men and women scrambled to get to their work positions for the day. Some had guns, others had mops and buckets.

"Just keep moving, don't let anyone push you around." Sarah instructed you, glancing over her shoulder as you trailed behind her.

You nodded and kept your eyes forward, feeling nerves flood your system as some people started noticing you. Bethany was right, it was as if you had a target on your back and were just waiting for someone to strike.

They wouldn't dare, Negan would kill them... or that's what you told yourself as you shouldered your way through the crowds and made it around the corner and into a less busier section of the Sanctuary.

"How long have you worked in the kitchen?" You asked when you and Sarah were finally alone, quickly moving to walk by her side.

"Not long, about five weeks so far." She nodded. "It's a good job, not the best – but it kills the time. You know how to cook?"

"Not really." You admitted and sucked in a breath. "I mean, I can cook the basics. Spaghetti is my best dish."

Sarah glanced up at you then, her lips spreading into a wide smile.

"Interesting." She blinked, amused by the revelation. "Spaghetti is Negan's favourite, sometimes he'll choose it before steak. Strange, but that's what he likes."

You didn't know why it felt good to hear that you shared some sort of common ground with the alpha –  _your_ alpha, but a smile tugged at your mouth.

Heading into a door on the left side of the long wide corridor, you followed Sarah into the kitchen. There were already a handful of people working, some of them were smoking cigarettes and others were deep in conversation. It didn't feel at all what a normal kitchen should be like, but you weren't complaining.

Liking the loose atmosphere, you glanced at the new faces around you and felt a sudden wave of insecurity fill you as they all stopped to look at you.

"Everyone, this is Alice. She's –"

"Negan's omega." One of the men growled out, his voice naturally gruff. Half of his face was badly scarred, like he'd been burnt by something deliberately. "You're the one who stole from him, aren't ya?"

The others whispered to each other as if you weren't even in the room, their icy glares making you want to run and never come back. But you held your ground.

"I didn't steal shit from Negan, so I suggest you watch your fucking mouth." You spat, glaring back at the man before eyeing the four-other people carefully. "And if any of you have something you wanna say to me, say it to my fucking face. I'm here to work and mind my own business, does anyone have a problem with that?"

The kitchen went quiet and Sarah smirked at you, proud of how you managed to stick up for yourself without having to intervene.

"Good." You nodded.

"Alrighty, let's get cooking!" Sarah clapped her hands together. "As you all know, it's inspection day. The boss is going be down here at some point, so that means he's going to want to try out a few dishes. John, you can make the pies. Apple and strawberry are his favourite... Leslie, you and Catherine can work on burgers. And Lisa, anything with chicken will do."

They all moved around then, quickly getting on with the tasks that were assigned to them.

"We're making spaghetti and garlic bread... and let me tell you, it's gonna be real hard for him to hate you after this." Sarah winked.

**

An hour had passed in the kitchen and you were done with your dishes, appreciating your handiwork on the counter as you cleaned up the mess with a damp cloth. The others were already back to talking about the progress the Saviours had made, and how supplies were being taken back to the Sanctuary almost daily now that Negan had made deals with a few communities.

"I heard Simon's headed out to some other town today." John growled out.

"He's always overseeing these shitty communities, he don't hold back though." One of the women said. "Remember what he did to Oceanside? Killed all those people."

"Yep. He seems to have gotten back in line lately, Negan must've had a word with him."

Dread weighed you down and you turned to ask if the town Simon was headed to was named Charming, when a familiar whistle broke through the conversation and sent a chill rolling up your spine.

Whipping back around to face the counter, you felt your heart quicken in your chest when his heavy footsteps sounded through the kitchen.

 _Fuck_.

"Well hello there, people." Negan called out, his voice deep and raspy just like you remembered it to be. "I sure as shit hope you've made some delicious treats for me, or we're gonna have a problem."

You clinched your jaw and your hands tightened on the counter as you steadied yourself, the weakness in your knees hard to ignore. Your heat was damn near overwhelming, and sweat coated the back of your neck.

"Yes, sir. We made your favourites. Pie, chicken, burgers and spaghetti." Sarah's voice was even sweeter than it normally was as she addressed the leader.

"Spaghetti?" You could almost hear the grin spread across his face. "And who made that for me, you?"

"No..." Sarah mumbled. "Alice did."

Your entire insides twisted as she mentioned your name and you really wish she hadn't. As much as you had craved contact with Negan again and to try and explain yourself, this was too much. You couldn't even look at him, and the tension was thick enough in the air to be sliced with a knife.

"Who?" Negan asked, the bitter sarcasm in his masculine voice stabbing at an already fresh wound in your chest. " _Oh_. You mean the Alice who broke my trust and stole from me as soon as I turned my goddamn back, that Alice?"

You closed your eyes and tried to reign yourself in, but the hurt and anger were already scratching at the surface. How could he be so fucking blind?

His footsteps got louder and closer and soon you felt him right behind you, but you still didn't turn around to face him. Instead your eyes were locked on the counter as you tried to control your emotions.

Leaning in over you, Negan grabbed at the fork by your hand and stabbed it into the spaghetti that you'd spent time perfecting. It wasn't a difficult dish, but effort had went into making it just right. You watched as he twirled it around and yanked it over your head, the sound of him shovelling it into his mouth filling your ears.

"Mm..." He hummed as he chewed and dropped the fork back onto the plate. "Tastes like dogshit, do me a fucking favour and throw that in the trash."

That was it. Lifting up the plate, you growled out and lobbed it across the kitchen with enough force that it smashed against the fridge. Spaghetti, sauce and glass clattered to the floor noisily as you turned to glare up at the alpha.

His hazel eyes were dark and hard, his jaw tight and his lips pressed into a firm line. His salt and pepper stubble had grown in thicker, and his dark hair was gelled back neatly. He looked and smelled amazing, and yet you felt sick.

"Get on your fucking knees and clean that shit up." He told you, his voice so low and dangerous that it scared you. "Do not make me have to ask you again."

"I'm not a thief, I didn't steal shit from you – if I wanted those suppressants, I could've made them myself." You told him, glancing at Sarah who shook her head at you frantically as you pressed on. "Frankie hated me the moment you took me back here, she's a spiteful bitch and you're blind if you refuse to see it!"

Negan snatched your arm then and dragged you towards the mess on the floor, his fingers so hard against your skin that you hissed. Forcing you on your knees, he towered over you as you stared at the ruined meal.

"Get her a mop and bucket." He snapped at the others. "I want this kitchen fucking spotless."

You let out a humourless laugh and shook your head as you shoved your hands into the spaghetti, pushing it into a pile. Glass cut at your hands and fingers, the sting of it a relief from the pent-up emotion.

"I don't need a fucking mop." You snarled and blinked up at the alpha. "More than one person told me about Frankie and what she did. How she stole from you and pinned the blame on Max."

Negan's features remained hard as he stared at you, his knuckles bone-white as his grip on Lucille tightened.

"You killed him, you smashed his fucking skull in and it was  _her_." You spat, tears welling up in your eyes again. "I know you believe her because she's a beta and because she's your wife, but she's lying."

Your hands were hot, and you frowned as you blinked down to see blood pooling into the orange sauce. Your grip was so tight on the glass that it tore into the skin of your palms. Lifting your fingers up, you watched as the blood spilled down your wrists.

"God fucking damn it." Negan growled and bent down to bind an arm around your waist, pulling you up to your feet again. "Somebody get me Carson, tell him to bring bandages. The rest of you can get the fuck out, go help at other stations. Make yourselves useful."

You felt lightheaded and wobbled on your knees, but Negan had a strong hold of you. Sliding Lucille onto a counter, he lifted you up with ease and sat you next to the barbed bat.

"I don't wanna see Carson, that fucker lied too." You breathed, your brows knitting together in pain as Negan picked the pieces of glass out of your hands.

"Tough shit, he's the only doctor we have." He glared at you, the anger in his gaze tainted with concern as blood continued to spill down onto your jeans. "You are the biggest fucking pain in the ass I've ever met. Fucking shit!"

Letting go of your hands, he turned and threw a punch into one of the kitchen cabinets. You flinched as his fist broke through the wood with a loud crack, and eyed him fearfully as he looked at you again.

"I'll clean up the spaghetti when the blood stops." You mumbled.

"I don't give a shit about the goddamn spaghetti – it's the blood." He breathed, his jaw tightening.

You looked at his face and felt your belly flutter when he licked his tongue over his bottom lip. It was then that you realised what he meant. Alphas were drawn to blood, more specifically, they were drawn to omega blood. If they drank blood from an omega, they could  _own_  them forever. It was like a regular bond, but much stronger and much more intimate.

You knew that if Negan drank your blood, he'd be able to feel your emotions and be able to track you down wherever you went, no matter how much distance separated you. And if you drank his blood, you'd be submitting yourself to him fully – you would be his and only his until your last breath and he would be yours.

"Why're you drawn to it when you hate me?" You asked him, watching as he placed his hands on his hips. "You can leave, I'll take care of myself. I always have."

"I'm not leaving." He said, his tone firm. "Did you do this to yourself so you could get back in my good books?"

You were hurt by his accusation, as if you'd ever go to such an extent to get his attention.

"I don't need Carson, I'm going back to my room." You told him, your voice so soft that you didn't recognise it as you slid from the counter and moved towards the door.

But he stopped you, of course he did.

"Sit. Down." His grip on your upper arm wasn't painful, but it was firm enough to let you know that he wasn't letting you go anywhere.

"I didn't fucking cut myself on purpose, I didn't lie and I didn't steal anything." You whispered, your features crumpling under the weight of your emotions. "I wouldn't betray my alpha like that."

There was a pause as you let out a sob, refusing to look up at him as he led you back to the counter and lifted you up. His hands rested on your knees then.

"What did you say?" He breathed.

"I didn't cut myself on purpose." You sniffed and lifted your bloody hand to your face, rubbing at your nose and smearing blood against your face.

"No, after that. What did you say." He asked you again, his eyes pinned on yours as you gulped.

"I wouldn't betray my alpha like that..." You whispered, realising the depth of your words.

" _My_  alpha." He emphasised the word, nodding once as if to ask you if that's what you meant.

You nodded wordlessly and he lowered his head. You kept your eyes on him when he straightened his posture again.

"I believe you."

Your shoulders slumped then and you fell forward against his chest, a pained moan escaping you at the weakness that ravaged your body.

"...alpha." You mumbled.

"I got you, sweetheart." Sliding his arm under your knees, Negan pulled you from the counter and quickly strode out of the kitchen and into the corridor.

Just then, he saw Carson and scowled at the small man.

"You." He growled as he carried you towards the medical office where Carson worked. "What took you so fucking long?"

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't realise..."

"You're gonna fix my girl, doc. You're gonna be fucking gentle as shit, you're gonna give her whatever medicine she needs and then you're gonna tell me why you lied to my fucking face." The leader of the Sanctuary stared through the doctor, watching as the colour drained from his already pale face. "You understand me?"

"Sir..." He whimpered.

"Do. You. Understand?" Negan shouted as he walked, his voice booming through the Sanctuary.

Carson nodded submissively as he followed behind.

"Y-y-yes."

" _Fantastic_."

It took a couple of more minutes for Negan to reach the Sanctuary's treatment room. Everything was groggy as he laid you down on a bed, the bright lights in the ceiling making you even more nauseous than you were.

Carson quickly moved towards the set metal drawers by his desk and pulled free bandages and cream.

"You hurt her more than what's necessary and I'll break your fucking fingers." Negan warned as he hovered behind the skittish doctor, his features hard and his hands clinched.

"I'll be careful." He nodded and leaned in to examine your hands, dabbing the blood away with a sterile cloth to see the wounds underneath. "These aren't too deep, they won't need stitches."

"She's bleeding like she needs 'em, you sure?" Negan asked.

"I'm sure." Carson nodded and lifted the stethoscope from his shoulders, plugging it into his ears and pressing the metal sound against your chest.

Your back arched and you winced as pain tore through your insides, forcing a cry out of your mouth.

"It's the heat." The doctor confirmed. "Her heartrate is up, she's hot to the touch... her blood is watery. I can patch her hands, but that's all I can do." He rubbed cream into your wounds and wrapped your palms tightly, binding them enough so that the blood wouldn't seep through.

"Can't you give her a fucking Tylenol or something?" Negan asked and moved in over you, his hand coming down to rest on your forehead. "She's fucking burning up."

"Tylenol won't work, she's too far along now for it to sink in." He shook his head and almost jumped out his skin when Negan snatched his white coat and yanked him up onto his tiptoes.

"This is your fucking fault." The alpha snarled. "None of this shit would've happened if you didn't lie, you sackless asshole. Oh, just you wait until this gets sorted out – your face is gonna be un-fucking-recognisable when I'm done."

"Please, Negan! Frankie begged me, she needed help." Carson whimpered. "I didn't know this girl meant anything of value to you."

Shoving him back into the metal drawers, Negan's eyes softened when he looked down at your face again.

"What about the suppressants?" He asked. "Will they work?"

"N-no, I don't believe so. The only thing that will stop this severe reaction is intercourse."

Negan looked at Carson like he was an alien at his usage of the word intercourse, it made his skin crawl at how formal the doctor made fucking sound.

"She needs a knot." He mumbled, talking to himself.

You blinked up at him and lifted your bandaged hand to his face. He leaned down to you and stroked his fingers through your hair.

"Sweetheart, let me take care of you. This is fucking torture for me, I can't do shit if you don't let me." He murmured, his voice soft yet raspy.

You nodded with what little energy you had and he physically growled at your acceptance. Pressing his lips against yours for the first time, you moaned into him at the warmth of his mouth. The soft hairs of his beard tickled your face, and you instinctively rubbed your cheeks against it, getting his scent on you again.

"I'm gonna make the pain go away." He told you, his teeth scraping against your chin. "You trust me, baby girl?"

"I need your knot inside me..." You whispered. "Take me, alpha. Make me yours."

Negan nodded.

"Let's get you upstairs, I'm gonna do this the right way." He nuzzled into your neck and breathed you in, a deep moan escaping him at how  _right_  you smelled. "The wives are gonna go away, it's just me and you from now on. Okay?"

"Okay..." You breathed.

Clutching onto him, you let Negan lift you up into his arms and carry you out of the treatment room and through the Sanctuary.

 **It was time**. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, this chapter was a wild ride. Let me know what you think, as always --- I love hearing your feedback for this story. It lets me know if I'm writing okay! Thank you for reading so far!


	13. Hurts So Good

The walk to Negan’s apartment couldn’t have taken more than ten minutes, but to you it felt like a lifetime. Pain coiled inside your body, balling in your lower belly like a fist as the cramps from the heat set in completely. This was it, and there was nothing you could do to shake the agony except surrender to the primal instinct within you that called out to be bonded.

Arching your back in Negan’s arms, a torn cry pulled itself from your throat as he carried you over the threshold and into his apartment.

You felt like you were dying.

You’d never felt more alive.

“I got you, sweetheart.” The deep rumble of your alpha’s voice was the calm to your storm as his hold on you grew tighter, his fingers clutching at your skin so firmly that you were sure bruises were already forming.

“It hurts so damn bad.” You whimpered through your teeth and felt tears pool in your eyes.

“I know, and it’s gonna keep on hurting like this if you don’t submit yourself to me.” He told you as he moved towards the bed, wasting no time in laying you down on the mattress. The sheets were cool beneath your sweat soaked body. “You gonna be a good girl and let me bond you to me, omega?”

Inhaling a breath, you clawed at the bed with sore hands and gazed up at the alpha who stood over you like a starved beast. His eyes were so dark that they looked black in the dim light, like an animal staring down at its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“Yes.” You whispered and groaned as he grabbed at your jeans, the sound of the worn fabric tearing and splitting down your thighs filling the room. Cool air kissed your bare skin as he threw the remains of your tattered clothing aside.

“Do you know how fucking long I’ve waited for this?” He growled, his hands rough as they smoothed up your bare legs, the tips of his fingers digging into your inner thighs. “I’ve craved the taste of you before I ever knew you fucking existed.”

Your eyes were hooded with lust and need and desperation as you stared up at into his eyes, a wave of nerves washing through you as he spread your legs so wide that your hips ached.

Sensing the hesitation in your body, the alpha’s eyes softened instantly.

“Don’t be afraid of this, don’t be afraid of me.” He mumbled, his voice raspy and thick with arousal as he shrugged his leather jacket off broad shoulders, letting it fall to the floor with a soft thud. “I ain’t gonna hurt you, girl. I’m gonna make you  _come_.”

Your heart raced in your chest and you sucked your lip between your teeth at the way he said those words. Watching intently as he pulled his shirt over his head, your eyes ran up the length of his toned torso, the dark trail of hair that spanned across his stomach and up along his chest making your insides clinch with desire.

Negan wasn’t like the other handful of men you’d been with in the past. They were boys, all in their early twenties and never could quench the fire that raged inside of you. Of course, none of them had been alphas and none of them could make you literally shiver with a touch. But it was more than that, Negan was older and more experienced and dangerous. He could kill you if he wanted to, and part of you knew that you wouldn’t fight back if he squeezed the life out of you.

Why did that turn you on, the thought of him wrapping his hands around your throat and stealing your breath away? These dark desires were so new and raw, it had to be the heat – the omega inside you screaming out to be claimed.

“Oh, I like that.” He hummed deeply and broke you out of your train of thought as he tossed his shirt aside before working on the belts of his jeans. “The way you’re lookin’ at me, the sound of that pretty fucking heartbeat racing in your chest – goddamn beautiful.”

The metal buckles of his belts clinked together as he yanked them from the loops, dropping them alongside his shirt as he unzipped his jeans and shoved them down past his hips. When you saw the first glimpse of skin, you blinked up at his face again and felt your knees tremble as he stepped in between your legs and reached out to curl his fingers into your underwear.

“My skin is on fire…” You breathed and arched your back, letting him tug the flimsy material down past your thighs and off your feet.

Dropping to his knees, the alpha pressed his face between your thighs and inhaled your scent. You almost came there and then as he nuzzled his nose against your clit, the slick wet of your arousal clinging to his face as a low growl rumbled in his chest.

“Oh my god!” You whined and clamped your thighs against his face. “What are you doing?!”

“Such a pretty little cunt.” He snarled, the deep masculine rasp of his voice making your toes curl. “Mm, I’m gonna eat you out. Is that what you want from me, Alice? My tongue inside you?”

Your breaths were short and shallow as you peered down at his head of dark hair, your cheeks flushing red when he glanced up at your face.

“Tell me, omega.”

“I want you to make me feel good.” You breathed, but you knew that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“ _I want you to eat my little pussy out until I can’t take it anymore.”_ He nodded. “Say that to me. Oh, c’mon. I know you can be a dirty girl, don’t go all fucking shy on me now. Say. It.”

You hesitated and he retaliated by dragging his tongue against your clit, eliciting a cry from you.

“More.” You begged and ran your fingers through his hair, trying to guide him back to your clit, but he didn’t budge.

“Not until you fucking tell me what I want to hear.” He growled. “You’re gonna be my filthy girl and say that shit like I asked you to or I’ll leave you spread like this until you do, don’t fucking test me.”

“I want you to… eat my little pussy out…” You paused, feeling your cheeks burn red with embarrassment.

“That’s it.” He grinned wickedly, his eyes hard as he eyed you. “Go on, let me hear it.”

“I want you to eat it until I can’t take it anymore.” You finished, feeling so completely filthy and yet more turned on than you’d ever been. “Please, Negan – it hurts.”

“Oh, you poor little thing.” He buried his face between your legs then and suckled your clit between his lips, flicking the sensitive bundle of nerves with his tongue over and over again until you were writhing against the bed.

“Holy fuck!” Your voice was shaky, and your eyes rolled in ecstasy at the flick of his tongue. “Oh, oh…”

The sloppy wet sounds of his mouth moving against your exposed pussy made you whimper and cry out, and he growled in response, loving the noises you made for him.

Bucking your hips up against his face, you sucked in a sharp breath as he licked a trail down to your soaked centre, dipping his tongue inside you where he lapped at the sticky arousal like he was a starved man.

“Ah!” You hissed and lifted your bandaged hand to your lips, biting down on the cotton as your belly tightened with the first flickers of an orgasm. “ _Alpha_.”

“Oh, I know you’re fucking close. But we’re saving that orgasm for my knot.” He bit out as he licked his way down to your ass, his tongue pressing against the tight little hole between your ass cheeks.

You gasped at the unfamiliar intrusion and tried to pull yourself up the bedsheets only for him to hold you down. He held you in place as he licked at your asshole, his nose buried in your wet pussy as he did so.

“ _Stop_!” You choked out, your features twisting at the strange yet pleasurable feeling that sparked through every nerve in your body. “Negan, stop!”

He chuckled then and did as you asked, his tongue halting its efforts in probing your tight little asshole open before he licked at your pussy again.

“Mm, one day I’ll take your sweet ass. But tonight, it’s all about fucking my knot deep in this tight little cunt.” He breathed and used his thumbs to spread your pussy wide open, a groan falling from his lips as he gazed at your spit-soaked centre, watching as it squeezed on nothing. “Pretty little omega pussy, virgin tight. Oh, I’m gonna have fun fucking you open.”

“I’m not a virgin…” You breathed, screaming out when he twisted two fingers inside you. “Ow, ah!”

“Might as well be.” He growled, not liking that little statement of yours at all. “I’m the first fucking alpha you’re gonna experience, and the very last.” He curled his fingers at an angle and stroked at the sensitive spongy flesh of your pussy, craving the way you squealed. “My dick ain’t like those tiny boy cocks you’ve had in the past, Alice. Nah, you’re about to realise what a man really feels like.”

You bit down on your lip so hard that you tasted blood and twisted your sore fingers into his hair, pulling at it until he crawled up your body.

“Fuck me.” You snarled into his face as he hovered over you, his hips settling between your thighs like they were built to be there. “I wanna feel it, make me feel it.”

Snatching your throat, Negan shoved you down into the bed and squeezed at your neck just enough to remind you who called the shots. He was alpha, he controlled how this would go.

“You want it?” He asked you, his eyes dropping from your face to your chest where he realised that you were still too overdressed for his liking. “My big alpha dick up inside you, knotting you?”

Digging his fingers into your t-shirt, he pulled at it and watched as it tore from your body easily, revealing your full breasts and belly to him.

You were completely naked, utterly vulnerable.

Nodding, you bucked your hips up and gasped when you felt the head of his cock brush against your clit. He was hot and hard, ready to sink himself inside you whenever he wanted.

“Such a good girl.” He leaned down and sucked one of your hard nipples into his mouth, scraping it with his teeth and lapping at it with his tongue before finding your mouth again. Claiming your lips in a heated kiss, he sank his big alpha dick inside you.

You choked out a sob into his mouth, his tongue stroking against yours, allowing you to taste your own arousal as he slowly opened your slick centre.

The feeling of being stretched was painful, the burning sensation of being torn to accommodate such a thick girth made you whimper into his mouth.

“That’s it.” He groaned, kissing the side of your face as the engorged head settled inside you for the first time. “You feel how fucking hard I am for you, girl?”

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you sucked in a breath and blinked up at him.

“Gonna fill you with cum.” He hissed and pressed another inch inside you, rolling his head back as your sensitive pussy sucked him in. “Gonna knot you over and over again until you’re round with babies.”

You whimpered and clung onto him for dear life as he sank himself inside you in one smooth stroke, getting as deep as he could for now.

“Shit, you’re so fucking tight.” He choked out and dropped his face into the crook of your neck, breathing you in as he let you adjust to his size. “Fuck!”

“Ow!” You whined, feeling crammed full and then some. “Negan!”

“I got you.” He kissed your neck and stroked his hand through your hair, his eyes locked on your face as you tried your best to relax. “You’re doing so fucking good, taking that big dick like a fucking champ.”

He stayed seated inside you for a few seconds, letting your body get used to being taken. This was your very first bond, and he wanted to make it as pleasurable for you as he could without hurting you too much.

He pulled out an inch and sank back inside, grunting at how warm and wet you felt. Continuing with soft thrusts until you began to moan and buck against him for more, he rolled his hips into you harder and began a steady rhythm. The sound of his heavy balls hitting against your ass with each stroke filled the room, and soon your cries of pleasure matched his masculine grunts.

His skin was hot against yours, his chest hair rubbing against your hardened nipples as he did what he had set out to do since the moment he laid eyes on you – make you his.

For the very first time, you felt like you belonged to someone other than yourself. It was truly overwhelming, but it felt right.

Squeezing his firm shoulders, your fingernails bit into his sweat clad skin as the bed rocked with every thrust. His breaths were hot against your face as he stared down into your eyes, his determined glare burning into your soul.

Dark hair fell across his forehead messily, his brow was furrowed in pleasure and his features were twisted into a scowl as he fucked you. To see the leader of the Sanctuary and the leader of the new-world so affected by your body was damn near orgasmic.

“Harder.” You begged, leaning up to lick your tongue against his lips. “Give it to me, alpha – please, please.”

“Look at you, saying please like an obedient little bitch.” He ground out through bared teeth as his hold on your hips tightened, the bruising grip both painful and addictive. There was something within you that craved his rough touch. “Can you fucking take it?”

You whimpered when he snapped his hips against yours, his pubic bone grinding against your sensitive clit as his cock rammed you to the hilt. Gasping when it twitched inside your aching pussy, you tried to shuffle back on the bed, but he held you down.

You were going nowhere.

It turned you on as much as it terrified you, but there was no going back. This needed to be done, you craved it.

“I can take it.” You breathed and nipped at the stubbled skin under his jaw, being mindful not to draw blood. “Fuck me, alpha. Fuck your knot in me, make me yours.”

His entire body shuddered at your words and you keened when he flipped you over onto your belly, his large hands wasting no time in lifting your ass up until you were propped up on your knees.

“You’ve been mine since day fucking one.” He told you and slapped your slick cunt from behind with an open palm, making you whine and jerk forward as he left behind a stinging sensation. “This is just sealing the fucking deal.”

Then he was inside you again, not bothering to be slow about it as he thrust inside to the hilt. You were so wet that he met no resistance, and your walls clamped down around him at the sudden intrusion.

“Fuck!” You screamed, reaching to grab his wrist as he squeezed your ass cheeks.

He fucked you harder than he had before, the fat head of his dick ramming against your cervix with each deliberate thrust, making your entire body shiver. This was it, you sensed the change in his demeanour.

“You fucking taking it?” He asked you, snatching a fistful of your hair as he watched his length ram in and out of you. “You ready for this big alpha knot stretching you out for me?”

You pushed back against him with each thrust and nodded furiously, feeling the first flickers of an orgasm flood through you at his dirty talk.

“Yes, oh fuck yes!” You screamed and gasped when he thrust every last inch he had to offer inside you, pain and pleasure soared through your body as the base of his cock began to swell inside you. “Oh my God, Negan.”

Your pussy contracted, and your vision burned bright as you came around him. Your entire body trembled with the force of the pleasure he had fucked into you.

“Fuck, good girl!” He howled out as he came inside you in hot thick spurts, his knot stretching your tightening cunt open and tying you to him. “Jesus fucking Christ, you feel that?”

You cried and whined at the uncomfortable pressure of being knotted, and squeezed your eyes shut at the feeling of his sticky cum filling you. You were full to the brim, and there was nowhere for all of it to go but deeper inside. His knot prevented any from leaking from your body. This was what being bonded to an alpha felt like, this is what it meant to be an omega.

Two minutes passed by before he slowly eased you down on the bed, his knot still firmly imbedded inside you from behind. You hissed as it tugged with his movements, but soon he lay behind you and kissed and lightly bit at your neck.

“How you feelin’, sweetheart?” He grumbled against your skin, nuzzling his face into your hair.

“Full.” You smiled, glancing over your shoulder at him. “Not in pain anymore.”

His eyes were lighter now as he leaned in and brushed his lips against yours.

“Good.” He hummed and slid a hand over your hip and between your legs, his fingers stroking your sensitive clit gently. “Your heat won’t hurt as bad as it did now that you’ve been bonded, but we gotta keep meeting like this if you want those cramps to go away.”

Your eyes fluttered at his touch, and you pressed the back of your head against his solid chest.

“I don’t mind that.” You smirked. “I could get used to this.”

He chuckled and kissed your shoulder.

“Oh, I fucking know you don’t mind. The way you were screaming with my dick inside you, I’d be surprised if the whole fucking Sanctuary didn’t hear you.” He teased and let out a sigh as his knot deflated enough to pull out of your tired body.

Turning to face him, you draped a sore thigh over his legs and let him pull you against him with strong arms.

“I want them to hear.” You told him and raised a brow as you trailed your fingers through his chest hair. “Especially your wives –  _ex-_ wives.”

“Oh, you are a sassy little thing.” He grinned and ran his palm down against your belly, frowning when you flinched at his touch.

“Sorry.” You whispered and took hold of his hand, moving it to your hip instead. “Not there…”

“You think I give a shit about your scars?” He asked you, his eyes searching yours for a moment. “I don’t.”

You nodded, understanding that he meant well.

“I know you don’t.” You murmured. “But I do. What Richie and his pack did to me… to my sister, it’s still right there in my mind.”

His jaw tightened.

“I wish I would’ve been there, I wish I could’ve killed them with my bare hands and brought you their heads on fucking spikes.” There was a genuine anger in his voice that made you feel safe.

You gulped and felt warmth spread through you as he held you tighter.

“They’re long gone.” You whispered, staring blankly to the windows in his apartment.

The truth was that you didn’t know that, not for certain. The last you’d heard was that the alpha who had attacked you had died in a fire, but Richie? There was no way for you to know what had happened to him, you could only hope one of the dead ones had ripped him open and eaten his insides while he watched.

“Get some sleep, omega.” Negan mumbled against the top of your head, not wanting to ruin the end of his first night with you by discussing the memory of dead men. Stroking his fingers up and down your smooth back, he breathed in your scent that was now tainted with him. “You’re gonna need it for when tomorrow comes around.”

Smiling, you rested your head against his solid chest and listened to the strong beat of his heart, closing your eyes and letting it lull you to into a deep dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this took a little while for me to roll out. I've been busy with work, but I hope this chapter makes up for the wait. Let me know what you think! As always, thank you for reading.


	14. Poison & Wine

_“Cancer.”_

_You stood in the doorway of a doctor’s office, your feet planted to the floor as you watched the scene unfold in front of you. A couple sat on the opposite side of a desk, facing the doctor who revealed the diagnosis._

_“What’s happening…” You whispered, your voice echoing in your own ears as the walls around you seemed to blur._

_“We need to begin a treatment plan immediately for the most effective results. I recommend starting chemotherapy as well as radiation – I understand this is extremely difficult to hear…” The older man nodded, his mouth pressing into a firm line as a heart wrenching sob escaped the woman._

_You narrowed your eyes, still not able to understand what you were seeing._

_“Give us a minute.”_

_Your heart skipped a beat at the all too familiar voice that rumbled through the small room and you blinked at the dark head of hair that belonged to the man who sat next to the woman._

_****Negan****._

_The doctor stood to his feet and strolled towards the door where you stood, not paying you any attention as he shifted right past you and into the corridor. It was as if you were a ghost, invisible to those around you. The air was thick, hushed voices seemed to blow through a breeze around you, making you uneasy._

_Gazing back at your alpha, you felt a lump grow in your throat when he stood up from the wooden chair and slid his fingers through his beard with a heavy sigh._

_“This is my fault.” He mumbled brokenly after a moment, his voice so soft that you didn’t recognise it. “Those fucking suppressants, I should’ve never let you take them.” He paused and his brow furrowed in frustration as he moved in front of the brunette, crouching down to her level to look her in the eye. “Look at me.”_

_A wave of nausea pooled inside your stomach when you got the first glimpse of his face. He looked different in this light, different than how you remembered him. His face wasn’t as hard, and he wasn’t as grey. He was younger, and you could almost feel the love that vibrated off him for the woman in front of him._

_“We can get through this, Lucille. You’re the fucking strongest person I know, cancer ain’t got shit on you. This is just a bump in the goddamn road, and we’ll get past it. We always do. You hear me, baby?” He asked, lifting large hands to either side of her face, holding her as if she were a fragile work of art. Knocking his forehead against hers gently, tears shone in his eyes as he looked back at the slouched form of the woman he loved._

_Tears pricked your eyes._

****_Lucille_ ** ** _._

_She was his wife._

_Blinking away from the intimate moment, you choked out a sob and turned to leave when the room began to spin. Everything started to collapse around you, and you flinched as the ceiling fell from above._

Your eyes snapped open and a harsh gasp tore itself from your throat as you sat up like a bullet. Your heart raced in your chest so hard that you were afraid it would break your ribs, and as you scanned the familiar space that was Negan’s apartment, a moment of relief grabbed you when you realised it had been a nightmare.

Sliding your fingers against the back of your sweat stained neck, you scowled at the feeling. This heat was the worst you’d experienced, and you couldn’t wait until it passed.

“Bad dream?”

Your jaw tightened as Negan’s voice rumbled from his side of the bed, thick with sleep as he peered up at you from his pillow. His eyes twinkled in the dark and he reached an arm out, his hand wrapping around your arm possessively to ease you back down against the sheets.

It was still dark outside. The moonlight streamed through the Sanctuary’s old windows, lighting up parts of room.

“Yeah.” You admitted softly as you gazed at him, still confused by what you had seen. It was all so terrifyingly vivid that you wondered if it was really was just a dream, or if the fact that you were now bonded to Negan had somehow given you insight to his life. You weren’t sure, you didn’t even know if you wanted to find out.

“Mm, you’re safe with me little omega.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss against your lips, his mouth lingering on yours for a couple of seconds. But when you didn’t fully return his affections, he furrowed his brow and gently gripped your chin. “That bad, huh? What happened?”

You breathed and shook your head, not prepared to tell him about the tragedy that replayed itself in your mind.

“It’s just the heat, it’s driving me insane.” You kissed him then and sighed against the tickle of his beard against your lips as he squeezed your hip, the rough pads of his fingertips running along your thigh and between your legs.

“I can take care of that.” He smirked and dragged an index finger through the small tuft of hair between your thighs before sliding it through your wet folds, humming deeply as you moaned in response. “My, my – what do we have here?” He leaned up on his elbow and pressed a kiss underneath your jaw, his teeth scraping at the sensitive skin there.

“Negan…” You breathed, spreading your legs further apart to give him full access.

“Still so fucking wet for me.” He mumbled and rubbed his thumb against your swollen clit, an arrogant chuckle rumbling in his chest when you flinched at how sensitive you still were after the first round of fucking. “You want my big knot inside you again, sweetheart?”

Your insides tightened at his words and another surge of warmth flooded between your legs, the smell of it lingering in the air and making Negan’s mouth water as he pressed the tips of two fingers inside you.

“Yes!” You hissed and grasped his wrist, trying to force his fingers deeper inside you when he slapped your hand away.

“Such a naughty girl, you’re fucking soaked.” He growled as he barely finger-fucked you, never sinking the two digits further than the fingernail as he dragged them around the opening of your cunt in circles. “Tell me what you want, and don’t be fucking shy about it either. We’re bonded now, omega – and as your alpha I wanna know what filthy things are going on inside that pretty head of yours.”

You sucked in a breath and tried to buck your hips up against his hand, but he slapped the inside of your thigh and elicited a yelp from you. “I wanna ride you, alpha. I want your thick alpha dick inside my pussy, I want it to hurt so good.” You growled out, not knowing what had come over you to say those words, but feeling proud of yourself when he shot up like a dart.

“You’re fucking perfect.” He ground out and yanked the duvet from his hips, tossing it aside to reveal a rock-hard erection curved up towards his lean belly. The first time he had taken your pussy, you hadn’t gotten a good look at what his dick looked like. But now you were staring it down, admiring the impressive length and girth of it.

Dark curls peppered his pubic bone, and you licked your lips as you took in the size of his balls too. Large, heavy, full of cum.

“Can I…” You looked up at him then, your arousal sticking to your thighs as he glared back at you like an animalistic beast. “I want to taste it, alpha.”

“Oh, Alice. Baby girl.” His voice was so low that it sent a shiver rolling up your spine, and you flinched when he grabbed your throat and dragged you forward into the centre of the bed. You clutched at his strong wrist and stared into his eyes as he kissed you roughly, teeth clashed against teeth and you whimpered at how easily he manhandled you. “You want to suck on my dick, darlin’?”

“Yes, please.” You told him with a whine and he released his grip on your throat only to sink his fingers in your hair, stroking at your scalp as he let you take control of your next move.

“Show daddy what you can do.” He growled, and you felt your pussy tighten at the nickname he gave himself.

Not wasting any more time, you placed a hand against his toned belly and dug your nails into his skin gently, forcing him to lay back down on the bed. He stared at you, his dark eyes never leaving your face as he fell back against the pillows, a smirk spreading across his face. The way he submitted to you so willingly made you moan and squeeze your thighs together. Negan was as alpha as they came, and he was letting you take the reigns.

Licking your tongue against your lips, you ran your fingers up his thighs and rested them on his hips as you lowered your face to the swollen tip of his dick. A bead of precum leaked from the head and you couldn’t resist. Lapping at the sticky liquid, you sucked it into your mouth and smiled wickedly as Negan rolled his head back with a deep groan. It was salty and thick as it rested on your tongue, and you savoured the taste before swallowing it down.

“Shit.” He ground out, clinching his jaw as he stared down at you lustfully. “Go on, let me see you take that dick.”

You let out a girlish giggle and parted your lips, widening your mouth enough to suck the large tip into your mouth. His thighs tensed and a groan fell from his lips as you swirled your tongue around his hot alpha cock. He was so thick that your mouth ached, but the feeling was addictive. 

His hand came down against the back of your head, his fingers sinking into your hair again as you slowly began to bob up and down, getting him nice and slick with spit. He smelled so good, the musk of his skin making you impossibly wetter.

“I’m fucking obsessed with you.” He breathed, his chest heaving with pleasure as his jaw hung open while he watched you. “Such a good girl, you’re gonna be the fucking death of me. Jesus  _fff_ -uck!”

He howled out a moan as you licked your tongue against the sensitive flesh on the underside of his cock while you cupped his heavy balls with a hand, stroking them and squeezing them gently. More precum leaked into your mouth, and you sucked it down as you got more comfortable taking him. Soon, the tip grazed the back of your throat and you gagged, not used to that feeling.

“Atta girl, I wanna feel you choking on that alpha cock.” He huffed out, his grip on your hair tightening as he thrusted his hips upward, fucking his cock fully against the back of your throat until tears streamed down your cheeks. “Argh, fuck yeah.”

You spluttered and coughed against him and tried to pull back, but he held you in place for a couple of seconds, enjoying the fact that you needed some practice. Sucking on him hard, you hollowed your cheeks and pulled your mouth up his cock until the head popped from your lips like a lollipop.

“You really just tried to suffocate me on your fucking dick?” You growled, and he smirked back at you.

“You’re a pretty girl when you’re choking.” He told you, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “One day I’m gonna slide my dick down that tight throat and feed you my cum and you’re gonna take it like a real omega should.” You sank your teeth into your lower lip at such a filthy thought. “But tonight… well, why don’t you climb on up here and ride me like you said you would.”

“You want my pussy, alpha?” You asked him innocently as you shuffled on your knees up the sheets that smelled like sex, swinging one leg over his thigh so that you were straddling him. Pressing your hands down against his hairy chest, you moaned as the head brushed against your clit. “Beg for it.”

You felt bold as you gave him an order, but he snatched your throat and yanked you forward until your mouth was a breath away from his. The harsh move made your heart flutter in your chest, and you didn’t know if you were scared or turned-on or both. There was a sadistic glint in his eye as he stared at you, the beast within him very much present.

“You know better than to tease me when I’m in a rut, Alice. I am your alpha, I could pin you down to this fucking bed and tear your throat open.” He growled, his lips curving into a scowl to reveal his teeth that grew sharper and longer. “Your blood is so fucking pure, it’s calling for me to drink it down and force a blood bond on you.”

Struggling for air, you whined when he nipped at the vein that throbbed in your neck. This was dangerous territory, being bonded to an alpha was one thing – but a blood bond was entirely different. It was the ultimate commitment, a complete possession. You would be his until your death.

You knew that deep down inside, you wanted it. To have him drain you of your blood until you were barely clinging to life only for him to feed you his blood and restore you to health, to claim you in the most intimate way possible.

It was tempting, but you weren’t ready.

Negan sensed the real sense of fear within you and gently kissed your throat before letting his grip on you go.

“One day.” He told you, the promise in his voice as real as it got and you rolled your hips down, taking the thick head of his hard dick inside you. “Fuck, sweetheart.” He groaned, his hands grabbing your already bruised hips as you gasped at the stretch.

You thought your body would’ve gotten used to his size, but it hadn’t and pain flickered around your arousal.

“Hurts.” You bit out, steadying yourself on his chest again as he slid his large hands against your ass, squeezing at it possessively as you rode him slowly. “Ah, shit. Negan, oh!”

“You are so fucking tight.” He grunted and peered down between your thighs, watching as his length disappeared within you before reappearing covered in slick omega juice. “So fucking hot, god I wanna cum in that perfect cunt.”

You whimpered at his choice of words and began riding him faster and harder, wincing at how sensitive your walls still were from the first time. “I want your cum, alpha. I need it!”

“I know you do, darling. Gonna pump you full of it.” He ground out, the base of his dick already expanding with the promise of a knot.

The sticky wet sounds of his cock fucking into you echoed through the room, and the bed squealed in protest as you panted and cried at how good it felt. The fat head was squished firmly against your cervix, bumping it with every roll of your hips and your body was shaking with the primal need to be bred.

“Negan!” You cried his name desperately and scowled when you felt his knot try to enter you with every movement you made. “I’m gonna cum, oh my god!” Your thighs trembled as your orgasm twisted in your lower belly like white lightning, flooding through your body like liquid pleasure.

Your entire body trembled as you slumped forward against your alpha, unable to move as feminine whines fell from your lips. Negan took over then and pushed you back against the bed, his rough hands grabbing your legs and forcing your ankles up by your head, holding them there as he fucked into you at an incredibly deep angle.

His grunts were desperate as he slammed into you over and over again, your pussy sucking at him as his balls slapped against your ass loudly.

“Fuck!” He roared and pressed his dick as deep as he could and his knot stretched your spasming cunt open, struggling against resistance before it popped inside you. He came in thick hot spurts, his cum shot against the entrance to your womb and filled you. “Agh, goddamn! You feel that load?”

You whimpered at the feeling of being unbelievably full and gazed up at Negan as he hunched over you, his breaths laboured and sweat clinging to his body. His eyes were locked with yours in that moment and you smiled up at him sweetly, your cheeks burning as he leaned in and pecked at your lips.

“I could stay inside you for a fucking lifetime.” He sighed, his voice raspy as he held his knot deep in you until it began to deflate. “Shit, you are too good.”

Hissing when he pulled out and let go of your ankles, you groaned and let your legs fall heavily against the bed. They felt like jelly and you weren’t sure you’d be able to walk after that, and the dull ache that settled inside you from being fucked deeply was strangely satisfying.

Negan collapsed against the bed and smiled lazily as you crawled to him, his cum coating your thighs as you did. Placing a hand against his chest, you felt his heart beat beneath your fingers and nuzzled your face in the space beneath his jaw.

“Negan.” You mumbled.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

You licked your lips and sighed. “Did you ever have a wife before this?”

There was a pause before he kissed the top of your head. “No.”

You knew it was a lie and closed your eyes, feeling sadness seep inside your chest as the dream replayed in your mind.

“Why you askin’ me that, Alice?”

“I… I was just curious to know what your life was like before everything.” You shrugged, feeling his body tense beneath you. “What about family, did you have –“

“That life is over.” He cut you off, catching you off guard with how sharp his reply was. “I don’t wallow over shit that happened in the past, I’m not weak like that. Go to sleep, sweetheart. We don’t have long until the sun starts to rise.”

That stung.

You gulped back the tears that threatened to reveal themselves and tried your best to relax against him, but it was difficult. You shared your past with him, you told him the most horrific details of what had happened to you and your family and he couldn’t even open-up about anything? And he thought it was weak to carry those burdens? Did he think you were weak? He must have.

Maybe you weren’t as bonded to him as you thought you were.

 

**

When you woke up in the morning, Negan was gone. You were normally such a light sleeper that you were surprised you hadn’t noticed him get up. The walk from the bed to the shower was a slow and uncomfortable one, the painful ache between your legs a reminder of what the alpha had done to you. God, he knew how to fuck – and his knot was something you would never get used to. But it wasn’t the mind-blowingly good sex that raced through your thoughts as the hot water poured down above you, washing his cum and scent from your skin, it was what happened after.

The awkward conversation about his life before the Sanctuary and the Saviours, the complete shut-down of any information you tried to weed out of him.

You thought that being bonded would have made him softer, but you were wrong. Negan was able to give you a physical bond, but anything beyond that was like pulling teeth.

And as much as you knew that the relationship you had with him was still brand new and that you were still getting to know each other, you were hurt by the fact that you had opened up to him and allowed him to claim you only for him to lie about never having a wife.

The dream you had was too real not to have some truth to it. Why would he name his weapon of choice Lucille, why would he refer to it as a ‘she’ and carry it around like it was his most prized possession apart from his dick.

Maybe you were going crazy because of your heat.

You couldn’t wait until it was over in the next couple of days so you could go back to feeling somewhat normal again.

You finished up washing your hair and scrubbing your body before drying yourself off and getting dressed in a fresh set of clothes. By the time you headed out into the corridor, you stopped in your tracks to see Frankie standing outside the harem with a cigarette in hand. She glared back at you as she took a draw of the white stick, inhaling the smoke before flicking ash onto the floor.

An overwhelming surge of rage filled you to where you saw red.

“You fucking dumb cunt.” Marching towards her, you let out a snarl and swung your arm back before yanking it forward and smacking the cigarette from her lips. She gasped and stumbled back in her heels, trying to clutch at the wall for support but you kicked at her ankles and watched her tumble to the floor like a sack of shit. “You could’ve got me killed with that sadistic bullshit you pulled, stupid bitch.”

Booting her in the stomach, you growled out as she heaved and coughed. “…You got what you wanted…” She hissed, glaring up at you with that same jealous hatred that made your skin crawl. “Omega  _whore_.”

Screaming through bared teeth, you fell to your knees and climbed on top of her, using a closed fist to thump her in the face again and again. She clawed at your neck and face, scratching and drawing blood, but you didn’t feel it.

“Gonna fuckin’ kill you.” A crunching sound filled your ears and she screamed as you broke her nose. She kicked her feet and cried, but you were relentless in your attack until someone physically dragged you off the sobbing mess.

“Let me fucking go!” You tried to fight off the hands that held you back, but you were going nowhere and snapped your head around to see Simon smirking down at you.

“Easy there, Rocky Balboa.” He raised his brow at you and you instantly stopped, feeling dread fill you as the intimidating alpha looked you over. “Can’t have you killing females in the corridors like some wild animal, the big man would have some serious issues with that.”

Pulling yourself away from his touch, your hands were bloody as you placed them on your hips and you glanced down at Frankie as she curled herself up into a ball. Pathetic waste of air.

“Where is he?” You muttered, glaring warily back at Negan’s second in command.

“Who, Negan?” Simon asked. “Oh, he’s out there dealing with important issues regarding a community that just doesn’t know how or when to behave. Not to worry though, he’ll be back before you know it.”

There was a short uncomfortable silence that fell between the two of you, and his smirk widened into a grin, the thick dark moustache above his upper lip stretching with his lips.

“I need to get to Carson right now!” Frankie interrupted the moment as she sniffled, her fingers wiping at the blood beneath her nose. “Simon, take me down there please. Don’t leave me here with that psychopath.”

Glowering down at the redhead with clinched fists, you made a move to lunge for her and felt an odd sense of satisfaction when she flinched and averted her eyes. “Keep your mouth shut.” You ground out.

“Come on ladies, let’s not make this more messy than it needs to be.” The alpha moved towards the redhead and helped her up to her feet, winding an arm around her waist to steady her as she pinched her nose and looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, and by the way it won’t be the Carson you’re used to seeing… yeah, about that.” He sucked in a breath between his teeth when she blinked at him in confusion. “Carson broke some rules so his ass has been relocated to cell block A until Negan can deal with him personally, and Carson 2.0 has taken up position in that office nicely.”

“Wait, what?” Frankie asked.

You smirked at the revelation. “Negan knows what you did.” Your eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked back at you. “He knows about what you did to become his wife, putting the blame on your poor fucking boyfriend. I knew you were twisted, but hearing that you just stood there and watched an innocent man die because of your actions is fucked. And getting the doctor to try and cast me out, that was a stupid move.”

Simon looked between the two of you, and held Frankie back as she tried to run at you. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!”

“You’re damn right you should’ve.” Moving forward, you stared her in the eye. “Because when my alpha gets back, I’m gonna ask him to give me your head on a  _spike_.”

She screamed in your face and Simon tugged her back easily, guiding her down the corridor towards the stairwell. “So much drama for a Tuesday – Jesus.”

Folding your arms across your chest, you kept your eyes on them until they disappeared out of sight and let out a heavy sigh. You were emotionally drained, you just wanted to crawl back in bed and sleep for a hundred years.

“Alice.”

Flinching at the unexpected voice, you turned to see Sherry standing in the harem with a cardboard box in her arms. She wasn’t wearing the tight fitted black dress you were used to seeing her in, instead she wore a flowing floral one that stopped just below her knees. You smiled at her and stepped into the room, looking around to see that the others were gone.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re going back to our normal lives, well as normal as they were before the harem.” She explained and headed towards the door. You moved out the way and let her out into the corridor before following in her tracks. “He must really have taken a shine to you, that omega glow really is something.”

You felt a weight lift from your shoulders when you realised that Negan had followed through with his promise on the wives and bit on your lip to prevent a wide smile from spreading across your face. “Are you okay with this?” You asked her, not wanting to create animosity with the one wife who you actually liked.

She turned to glance at you and snorted at the question. “Am  _I_  okay with this? Of course. This arrangement I had with Negan was cosy, but it isn’t what I wanted. I became his wife so that Dwight wouldn’t get hurt.” She sighed and you both headed into the stairwell, heading down the concrete steps.

“Dwight…” You knew that name. “The Saviour with the burnt face?”

She smiled sadly at you and nodded. “That’s him. He’s my husband, Negan took the iron to his face as punishment for breaking the rules. We made a stupid move, and we paid for it but it’s all over now and we can move on from this.”

You gulped back the thickness in your throat at her story, and you couldn’t imagine witnessing something like that. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“Don’t be.” She shrugged as you both reached the ground floor and headed out into another corridor. “It’s because of you that we’re able to be together again – hey, are you allowed to be down here when you’re in heat?”

You pressed your lips into a firm line when she looked at you with concern. “Not really, but I’m sick of being alone up there with my thoughts.”

“You should go.” She told you softly. “It isn’t safe down here, not when you smell the way you do.”

Just then you saw Louise out the corner of your eye and smiled when she headed towards you, but her features were hard. Feeling a sinking sensation in your belly, you instantly knew something was wrong.

“Alice…” She shook her head. “There’s rumours spreading that some Saviours did go to Charming that day, Sarah was right.”

You felt an overwhelming sense of dread fill you and Sherry looked confused. “What’s Charming?”

“My community.” You whispered, blinking at Louise again. “What happened?”

“They killed them all.” She couldn’t look you in the eye when you let out a pained sob. “All except one.”

“No!” You keened, the tears spilling down your cheeks as you heaved for air. A pain you didn’t think was possible to feel ripped through your chest, tearing at your heart as the faces of the women and children flashed through your mind. “Oh my god, please…  _no_. No, no, no.”

Falling to your knees, you screamed in anguish as Louise and Sherry crouched down in an attempt to comfort you. But there was to comfort to be had, only heartache and grief and anger.

“Who…” You sobbed, not able to see clearly through your tears. “Who… who’s alive…”

“A girl.” Louise told you. “A girl named Cole.”

“I need to get to her.” You cried.

“But Negan –“ Sherry mumbled.

“Fuck Negan!” You spat, a deep hatred bubbling within you knowing that your alpha would butcher your people without a second thought. “He did this to them, he’s a fucking monster.”

"This isn't like him." Louise tried to defend him with a shake of her head. "He doesn't kill women and children... I" She paused when she saw the death glare you gave her. "I don't know what to say. Oh, Alice. I am so sorry."

"Those were my people." You choked out and fell against the woman, sobbing into her shoulder as she held you. "How could he do this to me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by the song Poison & Wine by the Civil Wars. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and as always thank you for sticking around to read my work!


	15. The Price We Pay

“I need out.” Sitting on the bottom bunk in room 187, you looked up at the faces of the women you had learned to trust. “Just for a day, just so I can get Cole. I wouldn’t ask for your help if I wasn’t desperate.” Your cheeks were stained red from crying earlier, but now you were determined to get back to Charming.

“No.” Bethany shook her head, the expression on her face hard as she glared down at you with doe brown eyes. “It’s far too risky, if Negan found out we helped you escape – he’d kill us all.”

“She’s right.” Sarah mumbled from where she stood against the bedroom door, her arms folded. “This isn’t a walk in the park, Alice. There’s eyes everywhere, we wouldn’t be able to get you out past that fence even if we wanted to.”

You clinched your jaw and dropped your heavy gaze to the floor, the deep ache in your chest expanding with each moment you remained here.

“I might…” Sherry sighed as she sat on the opposite bunk, pausing for a moment when you glanced at her. “I might be able to work something out.”

“You just got your freedom, you really willing to throw that away?” Bethany raised a brow at the brunette, glaring at her as she twisted at the material of her dress. “Look what happened the last time you broke the rules.”

“I’m well aware of what happened.” Sherry narrowed her eyes at the alpha before looking at you again. “But it’s different now, I think we can all accept that.”

“What’re you thinking?” You asked, feeling a flicker of hope rise within you.

“I’ll talk to Dwight.” She nodded, glancing at her hands for a second. “I can’t guarantee anything, but it’s worth a shot.”

Bethany snorted at the suggestion and looked thoroughly unimpressed with the entire thing. “This is fucking insane, you realise this right?” She smirked, looking at you then at Sherry before glancing up at Louise who sat on the top bunk. “You hearing this, Lou?”

“Yep.” The older woman mumbled. “It  _is_  insane, but you and me both know that if this was someone we cared about, we’d do the same damn thing.” Moving to shift herself down the stepladder, the Saviour sighed and looked at you. “If you do leave today, you have until sundown before Negan gets back from Alexandria – if you ain’t back before then, we can’t do shit to protect you. I just want you to really understand that… this is all on you the moment you step foot out these grounds.”

Pushing yourself to stand, you stared back at the woman and nodded. You knew the risks and you knew there’d be consequences if Negan came back before you did, but you were past the point of caring. The only emotions you felt when you thought of the man you’d so stupidly given yourself over to was hatred, a deep-rooted rage that ached within you at what he had done.

“I know.” You said.

“Good luck out there.” She clapped a hand against your shoulder and smiled sadly, nodding when you moved towards the bedroom door.

“Thank you…” You told them as Sarah slid past you to stand with Louise. “I know this is dangerous for all of you, but I need to do this. I can’t live with myself if I don’t try.”

Sherry stood from the bunk and strolled towards you, while the others remained quiet as you pulled the door open.

“Be safe, omega.” Bethany muttered, turning her back on you as she climbed up her bunk.

You half-smiled at the frustrated concern she showed you before heading out into the corridor again with Negan’s ex-wife by your side.

**

Sherry kept to the less-populated corridors, guiding you through the dimly lit factory and you were grateful that she cared enough to put your needs over her own safety. Grateful, but unsure at the same time. The last thing you wanted to happen was for Negan to take his rage out on her if he came back before you did.

“You really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” You finally breathed through the quiet, watching as she looked at you.

“I want to help.” She said, stopping outside one of the grey doors in the corridor. “We just need to keep this between us, this can’t get out or we risk everything.”

You nodded, aware of the situation as she softly knocked on the thin wood. You could hear footsteps inside and tensed when the handle juddered.

The door creaked open and there stood the Saviour with a face you’d never forget.

Dwight’s one good eye widened as he looked down at his lover, a brief but genuine smile of happiness tugging at his lips before he blinked in your direction and froze.

“Everything okay?”

Leaning forward, the brunette placed her hands on his chest and slid them up to squeeze his shoulders. “I missed you.” She murmured, standing on tiptoes to brush her lips against his.

You watched as his eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and looked away after a second, feeling as if you were intruding on an intimate moment.

“Missed you too.” He sighed. “So happy you’re mine again, Sher.”

“Me too, baby.” She smiled and leaned back, looking at you again. “We need your help.”

The tall Saviour looked around the corridor warily before stepping aside and allowing Sherry to tug you into his room before he shut the door.

“What’s she doing here?” He asked, glancing at you again. “If Negan comes back –“

“What happened in Charming?” You interrupted, stepping forward. “Were you there, did you see him kill my people?”

“Woah, the hell is this – an interrogation?” He glowered at you, unimpressed by how forward you were, but you needed as much details as you could get.

“Charming.” You pressed on, undeterred. “Why did he kill them?”

The blond man narrowed his one good eye.

“Negan sent Simon there a couple of days ago to see if there were any improvements.” He explained, shaking his head. “There wasn’t any killing involved… where did you even hear this crap?”

“We have a reliable source.” Sherry shook her head and glanced at you before reaching out to squeeze Dwight’s hand. “You really don’t know anything? Please tell the truth.”

Dwight’s features softened when he gazed back at his wife, his shoulders sinking as he licked his lips.

“I don’t know, that’s the truth. If Negan had Simon kill those people, then that’s news to me.” He explained, looking at you again. “If you’re looking for revenge, look somewhere else. I already crossed Negan once, I ain’t stupid enough to do that again.”

You felt an overwhelming weight of sadness swell inside you at being left without the answers you wanted, but kept your features hard.

“I’ll handle him myself.” You murmured. “But I need help getting to Charming, I need to see what happened. A friend of mine is still alive and I can’t let her die.”

“No.”

“ _Please_.”

“Are you serious right now?” He glared at you and snorted. “You wanna know what happens when you go against Negan, just look at my face. I can’t go down that road again, if he found out I helped let his omega escape – he’d bash my skull in.”

“Dwight.” Sherry stepped in front of him and gazed up into his troubled eyes. “We do this for Alice, we can kiss this place goodbye and leave for good. We take her to Charming and we get the hell out of dodge, we survive together – just you and me.”

A lump grew in your throat at the love that was exchanged between the couple, and you realised that in helping you, Sherry was helping herself too. There was a long pause before the Saviour breathed, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other.

“Okay.” He nodded. “But if we do this, there’s no turning back. I’ll take you there, but I ain’t taking you back.”

You felt relief wash through you as he agreed.

“I understand.”

“Alright, this is how this is gonna go. You wear one of my shirts to disguise that scent, put on a hat and follow my lead. Don’t do anything that’d make people look at you, just keep your head down.” He told you and looked at Sherry. “You sure about this?”

She nodded.

“Absolutely. Where’s the car?”

“Left side of Sanctuary, out in the courtyard. There ain’t no snipers positioned there, that’s our best bet.” He explained and turned to grab a bag from the wooden table in his room that was littered with small wooden figurines he’d carved with a hunting knife.

He tugged open a set of drawers by his bed and stuffed the bag with clothes before snatching the crossbow that rested on top, slinging it over his shoulder. “You need to grab anything, honey?”

Sherry shook her head. “We’ll find what we need when we get out there. What about you?”

“No. Like you, I’ll find what I need.” You said, reaching out to catch the shirt and hat Dwight threw your way.

Wasting little time, you pulled the flimsy brown material over your body and tugged the beanie over your hair as the couple took the lead and headed out of the room.

“Head low.” Dwight reminded you and you did as instructed, keeping your eyes on Sherry’s heels as she walked ahead of you.

Your heart drummed in your chest and adrenaline pumped through your veins as the three of you headed through the dim corridors, footsteps echoing and the voices of Saviours passing you by making your mouth dry. This was a risky move, and it felt like a lifetime until you made it to the left-side exit into the old courtyard. The sun beat down above you, the heat of it sinking through your clothes as Dwight marched towards the old rusted blue car and yanked the backdoor open.

You quickly jogged towards him and slipped inside.

“Lay down until we’re clear.” He instructed you and shut the door.

You did as you were told and sank down against the fabric seats, curling yourself into a ball as the couple got in the front. Doors slammed and the engine roared to life. Closing your eyes, you felt the car move and soon you were being smuggled out of the Sanctuary’s grounds.

Dread tugged at you, your heat still in full swing and you couldn’t deny the way your body ached to be beneath Negan again. The instinct was strong, but it wasn’t stronger than the deep hatred and hurt that bubbled in your blood. You couldn’t understand it. You were well aware of what he was, of  _who_  he was – but murdering all those people? Why?

Maybe it was his way to make sure you had nowhere to run to if things turned sour, maybe he was a good liar and never really did care about you and only wanted your body. Even considering that made your stomach churn, could he be so cruel? There was only one way to find out the truth, and you were going to get it if it was the last thing you did.

“You can sit up, Alice.” Sherry glanced over her shoulder and looked at you, her eyes seeming to hold pity within them as she noticed the lost look on your face.

Sighing, you pulled yourself up into a sitting position and blinked out of the dusty back window to see the familiar vast green fields pass you by as you headed  _home_. You were terrified of what you would find when you stepped foot back into the small town, but you wouldn’t hide away from it. You couldn’t.

“Where will you go?” You asked, looking in the rear-view mirror to see Dwight glance at you. “There’s nothing but death out here, won’t you be safer in the Sanctuary?”

“We were never safe in the Sanctuary, it’s just as bad in there as it is out here.” He said, pausing before sucking in a breath. “You should know that. Negan kidnapped you from your people, and if he did kill them, would you want to go back there?”

You clinched your jaw and dropped your gaze to your lap before shaking your head.

“No, I wouldn’t.”

The drive was quiet for the rest of the journey and you were so deep in thought about your situation that you didn’t realise you’d arrived at your destination until the car stopped. Feeling your heart sink in your stomach, you looked out of the windshield at the broken gate that once kept your community safe from the undead.

“Shit.” Dwight muttered.

“Alice, you sure you want to see this?” Sherry asked.

You didn’t reply as you opened the door, stepping out onto the gravel before slowly walking towards the town. The couple both got out the car and followed you warily, keeping their eyes alert as you headed through the gate. You were met with a deafening silence and gulped back the nerves as you treaded carefully through the familiar streets of the small town, noticing instantly that every door of each building had been kicked in. You kept on and rounded the corner, halting to a stop when you were met with what you had been dreading.

Sucking in a shaky breath, tears welled in your eyes and a choked sob escaped you at the rows of bodies that lay decomposing on the ground. You felt as if someone had punched you in the stomach. Your knees grew weak and you brought your hands to your face, covering your mouth as you cried at the brutality of it all.

Sherry rested a hand on your shoulder and Dwight stood speechless as a handful of walkers ate at the remains of the dead, their growling and hissing replacing the sounds of laughter that once existed.

Stumbling forward, your chest heaved and you felt dizzy at the smell of rot that filled you as you looked down at the people you once lived with. Women and children, shot in the backs of their heads execution style.

“Oh my god.” You whispered, your voice too shaky and grief laden to speak louder as you gazed down at a child no older than the age of three, still clutching his teddy bear in his pale hand.

One of the walkers noticed you, stopping its chewing on the intestines of one of the women as it clumsily got to its feet and tripped over the bodies to get to you. But your feet were planted in the ground, the emptiness inside you so vast that you didn’t care about death in this moment. Sherry yanked it back by the hair as it grabbed at your arm, and she sliced a blade in its temple, letting it fall to the ground with the others while Dwight took care of the rest of the undead.

“Alice, you should leave.” She told you, concern filling her voice. “There’s nothing left here for you.”

But that wasn’t true. Your eyes narrowed in on the town hall, the only building that hadn’t been kicked in and you realised that Cole might be inside.

“You should go.” You sniffled, glancing at Sherry. “If the Saviours show up here, they could kill you both. Go, I’ll be fine.”

Looking back at Dwight, tears pricked her eyes and he nodded.

“Be safe, Alice – we took care of these walkers but more will come. Please.” She enveloped you in an embrace, but you felt nothing as she pulled back and handed you her blade. “Take this.”

Your fingers curled around the handle and you gazed back at the woman, thankful that she’d helped you come this far.

“Thank you.” You told her and glanced at Dwight. “Both of you. I’ll be okay.”

That was a lie, you knew you’d never be okay after this but it’s what you told yourself to keep from collapsing. She nodded and reluctantly turned to head back through the rows of dead innocents, letting her husband wrap his arm around her to guide her out of Charming.

You stood still for a long moment before snapping out of your haze and heading up towards the town hall. Grabbing the handle of the door, you twisted it and were surprised when it opened up. Pushing the wood aside with a creak, you swept your teary gaze through the once vibrant community hub and was met with more death. More bodies, more blood, more loss.

“Alice?”

Your heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice of your friend and you sprinted forward, leaping over bodies to get to where she was. Running up the staircase, your breaths were shallow and hard and your eyes widened when you saw her.

Cole was slumped against the balcony that looked down on hall, her clothes bloody as she looked up at you with heavy eyes.

“It’s okay.” You whispered and quickly fell to your knees, crawling over and reaching for her. “I got you, Cole. It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry…” She gulped, her lips pale and dry and the circles under her eyes dark. “…sorry for telling them you were an omega…”

“Sssh.” You slid your fingers through her hair and frowned at how clammy her forehead was. “That doesn’t matter, are you okay?”

She smiled sadly and moved her head to the side, revealing the deep red imprints of a bite that was dark and swollen. Your brows pulled together in another wave of grief, and you lowered your head.

“Tried to fight them off, but one got me from behind.” She whispered. “Tried my best.”

You nodded and just held her against you as her jaw trembled, tears slipping down your cheeks and into the creases of your lips.

“I’ll kill Negan for this, I promise.”

Coughing, Cole blinked up at you and shook her head.

“Not Negan.” She breathed. “Simon.”

You searched her features and your brow lifted in surprise.

“Simon?”

“Negan was planning on giving us supplies, he was gonna provide for us after he took you.” She winced in pain as the virus worked its way through her body, and you clutched her closer. “Simon told us we were a burden and that we were gonna take up resources that the Saviours needed – he told us this was your fault. He said if Negan didn’t know you were an omega, he wouldn’t have bothered to save us, he would’ve just let us starve. But this is my fault, I did this and I’m paying the price.”

Anger filled your veins as the pieces of the puzzle fit together, it made perfect sense now. Negan never did this, his right-hand man had gone behind the alpha’s back and destroyed your world.

“No, you did what you thought was right for our people.” You told her and leaned in to press a kiss against her head. “You did good, Cole. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, I don’t want it to end like this…”

Her breaths were laboured as she gazed up at you, smiling sadly at the tears that dripped from your chin.

“Don’t let me turn into one of them.” She whispered, her dark eyes pleading as she grabbed your arm and squeezed. “I’m ready to go… I’m…” She choked, spiting up blood that slid out of the corners of her mouth.

“It’s all gonna be okay.” You cried and reached for the blade Sherry had given you, pulling her close against your chest so she didn’t see the knife as you slid it behind her head. “Just close your eyes… there we go, just breathe.”

She gargled on her own blood as you firmly pressed the metal through her temple, ending her suffering in a quick and painless death. Your eyes fluttered shut as her body relaxed against you, all noise and tension fading as you held her.

Staring into space, you leaned back against the balcony and let yourself feel the weight of it all. The pain, it swallowed you whole and you sobbed quietly.

**

Two hours had passed and you stood at the balcony, bloody blade in your hand and a war raging inside you as you tried to think what to do. If Negan had made it back to the Sanctuary, he probably knew you were gone and probably thought you had betrayed him in the worst possible way. You knew he would have Saviours out looking for you, including Simon. You knew he would be furious and would probably want to kill you, but he didn’t know that his loyal right-hand man was a snake in the grass.

Simon had gone against Negan’s authority, and as an alpha, you knew he was biding his time to challenge him for the leadership of the empire Negan had built. He was dangerous, he was ruthless and he was a barbaric beast who got off on killing children to make a point.

You were going to kill him.

For Cole, for Charming – you’d drive your blade through his throat and watch him drown on his own blood and you’d watch him suffer. But how you were going to do it was the question.

You needed to get back to the Sanctuary, that was essential.

Tucking the blade into the belt of your jeans, you glanced down at Cole’s body one last time before descending the staircase. Heading out into the town, you refused to look at the bodies of the dead and instead headed for the broken gate.

If you walked fast enough and didn’t run into any trouble along the way, you should make it back to the Sanctuary in a day.

The horrors of what you had seen had scarred you, but the one thing that kept you going was knowing that Negan had planned to keep your community safe. He was going to share his supplies with your people, he was going to take care of them when they couldn’t take care of themselves and it made your heart break with sadness.

His plans would never come to be, and you’d never see Charming thrive. You were utterly devastated, and felt so empty that you weren’t sure you’d ever be the same again. You had survived the deaths of your mother and sister, but the added grief of an entire community being slaughtered was tipping you over the edge.

Simon needed to die, and you didn’t care if you died in the process.


	16. Crossroads

Standing by one of the large windows in his apartment, Negan held Lucille by his side in his gloved hand as he stared out into the main courtyard of the Sanctuary. Simon leaned in the doorway, a hand on his hip as he eyed the leader carefully.

“Sir, I think we should seriously consider moving forward with the plan to meet with the prick who had his group kill our men at the satellite outpost.” The right-hand man spoke out, breaking the silence with his bold voice. “They need to be severely punished for what they did, it needs to be done efficiently. Nip it in the bud before the disease spreads, so to speak.”

Turning on the heel of his boot, one glare from Negan was enough to shut Simon down. His eyes were dark and hard and his mouth twisted into a scowl.

“Oh, I am well aware of what needs to happen with those assholes.” His voice was low and raspy, his eerily calm tone making Simon uneasy. “They’ll be dealt with  _after_  I find my omega, that is priority number fucking one on my list. Fat Joseph told me that Dwight and Sherry sped on out of here in that rusted piece of shit like Bonnie and Clyde in the wind, you know anything about that?”

Stepping into Simon’s personal space, the alpha stood nose to nose with him and searched his features, watching as he lowered his gaze in an act of submission.

“I did not.”

“Ah, of course you didn’t.” Negan smirked, but there was no humour in his voice as he clapped a hand on the man’s broad shoulder, squeezing firmly and leaning in closer. “Because you were too busy sticking your dick inside Frankie, and as much as I support letting a man blow off some steam once in a while, you were supposed to be runnin’ shit while I was dealing with the Hilltop. That kinda sloppy ass management is what gets people killed.”

Simon’s shoulders slumped and he reluctantly met Negan’s piercing gaze again, clinching his jaw at the humiliation of being caught out for slacking in his duties.

“So now, those two are on the run and I got a feeling that they took Alice with them. Why do you think that is?” Negan asked him, narrowing his glare at the other alpha who shook his head. “Why would my omega want to run away with them of all people, something fucking stinks about this whole fucking shit stain of a situation because she was just fine and dandy when I left her. So,  _what_  happened?”

Simon shifted his weight uncomfortably, his gaze dropping to the floor as he thought back to Charming and it clicked. He gulped, keeping that dark secret hidden away from Negan at all costs. The omega had gone back to her community that he had taken care of personally, if she managed to get to that bitch he left alive out of the goodness of his heart, then she could ruin everything. He couldn’t let that happen, he had to find her before Negan did.

“Maybe she saw and opportunity and ran with it.” Simon offered up a false take and shrugged as he faked his confusion. “The last thing I want to do is piss you off, so take that into consideration when I tell you this… but maybe she wasn’t ever planning on submitting herself to you. From the outside, it kinda looked like she was challenging you every step of the way.”

Negan’s features grew harder in the light and his fingers tightened around Lucille, a move that didn’t go unnoticed by Simon. There was a long tense pause between the alphas, and Negan licked his tongue over his lip with a sigh.

“Maybe.” He agreed, though not convinced in the slightest as he tipped his head forward in a nod. “We’ll figure that shit out when I get her back. Now, what I want you to do is get groups of men out there looking under every fucking rock from here to Hilltop and back again. I want all three of them alive, we clear on that?”

“Crystal.” Simon agreed. “And Dwight, you know how he is – what if he puts up a fight?”

Negan stared back at Simon, a dangerous smile tugging at his lips.

“Blow out his damn kneecaps if you have to, I don’t give a shit. Just bring him back to me alive, I got plans for that dog.” He muttered and turned away from the Saviour, lifting Lucille up to rest on his shoulder as he glanced at the bed. The sheets were crumpled and still smelled like her, the sweet scent settling inside his chest like a heavy stone. She was still deep in heat, and the thought of another alpha dominating her made him see and feel red.

He was furious, the anger combined with his rut making his blood boil beneath his cool exterior. He would have every man and woman in his ranks out searching for her if that’s what it had to come to, there wasn’t a chance in hell she was slipping out of his grasp, she belonged to him and only him.

“I’m taking Gavin and Arat to Charming, see if I can catch her scent there.” The leader muttered and turned from the bed, leaving behind the very fresh memory of her spread beneath him as he marched past Simon and out into the corridor. “Omegas crave familiar surroundings in heat, it’s the first damn place she’d go.”

Simon’s eyes widened and his jaw tightened at Negan’s plan and he paused for a moment before quickly following in his footsteps, his boots heavy on the freshly mopped floors.

“I can take Charming.” He announced enthusiastically. “Frees you up to take care of things here in case shit goes south with that group.”

Whipping around to face him, Negan grinned and leaned back with a chuckle.

“Jesus, you just  _don’t_  listen.” He ground out, his smile fading instantly. “The Hilltop and back again, that’s your job. That’s what I asked you to do, don’t make me have to repeat myself.”

There was an uncomfortable silence and Simon ground his teeth together, watching as Negan continued on his journey through the Sanctuary, glaring into the back of his head before trailing after him.

“Hilltop it is.” He nodded and reached his fingers up to smooth through his groomed moustache, something sinister lingering in his brown eyes. “I’ll do my very best to find her for you, boss.”

“That you will.” Negan said and shoved his way through one of the doors that led to a stairwell, wasting no time in marching down to the ground level of the Sanctuary.

The moment he made an appearance in the main quarters, every Saviour who looked his way fell to their knees and bowed their heads. They feared him and rightfully so, his presence enough to make even the toughest of alphas to submit willingly.

Letting out his famous whistle that rang through the factory walls, conversation quickly faded into whispers and then nothing at all as he made his way through the mass of people to stand in front of the furnace that had seen many speeches and punishments alike.

“Most of you know that we had a code red on our hands earlier when I was gone.” He glanced at Simon and smirked down at Frankie who refused to lift her head before scanning the faces of his people as a whole. “Haven’t had one of those in a long damn time, in fact, the same assholes who broke the rules the last time have gone and fucked up again. You give people chance after chance and they throw that shit back in your face.”

He sucked in a breath and furrowed his brow as he slid Lucille from his shoulder and swung the wooden bat through the air with a grunt, the  _whooshing_  sound making those at his feet flinch.

“Here’s what’s about to happen, so listen up and listen carefully. The three people who ran off – Dwight, Sherry… and Alice are to be brought back here.  _Alive_. I want teams out there looking for them until they’re found, and when they’re brought back, they will be dealt with. There are rules for a reason and you break them you are punished, it’s that fucking simple.” He spoke, his voice loud and commanding. “Arat and Gavin are coming with me to Charming, Simon has the Hilltop. Regina, you and Laura will take people out on the riverbanks. Is that clear?”

“ _Yes, sir_.” The lieutenants barked out, all ready and willing to serve their alpha except for Simon who stood tense in the shadows with his hands on his belt.

The second in command, the one alpha Negan looked to the most for council had his own plans tucked under his sleeve, ones that didn’t involve bringing the omega back alive.

“Good.” Negan nodded and reached into the back pocket of his grey jeans, pulling free a red scarf and tying it around his neck. “Let’s make a start.”

**

The sun was high and bright in the clear blue Virginia skies, its heat beating down on the abandoned road and surrounding farmlands. You had been walking along the solid concrete for more than three hours now, your feet sore and tired in your boots that seemed to grow heavier with every step, but you needed to keep going. You needed to make it back and tell Negan of the horrors that his right-hand man had committed.

Sweat slid down the back of your neck and stained your shirt, the deep ache in your lower belly reminding you of your heat that made you fragile. God, how wrong things had gone in such a short amount of time, how the hell did you keep ending up in these awful predicaments? Maybe you were cursed.

Sucking your cracked lower lip between your teeth, you gulped back the dryness in your throat and scowled at how awful your mouth felt. You were dehydrated, and your head pounded because of it.

“Damn it.” You sighed and lifted a hand to the back of your neck as you slowed to a stop, staring into the endless horizon that made you dizzy.

If you wanted to make it back, you needed water. Glancing to your left, you took in the sight of a forest in the near distance and quickly decided to head in its direction. Kicking and shoving your way through long overgrown yellowed grass, it took you five minutes to finally stumble forward against the first tree trunk. Grasping at its rough bark, you took a moment to catch your breath before continuing on.

The shade felt amazing, a break from the sun something you didn’t realise you craved until your skin cooled off. Stepping over fallen branches and walking through thick mud, you felt your heart flutter when the familiar sound of a river found your ears.

Not wasting another minute, you ran, ignoring the ache in your legs and the tightness in your chest. Making your way over a mossy slope, a relieved smile pulled at your lips when you saw what you desperately needed.

When you got to the edge of the small river, you fell to your knees and winced as the gravel bit into your skin before cupping handfuls of water into your mouth. Gulping it down greedily, you splashed some against your sweat soaked face and sighed.

“Don’t move.”

Freezing in place at the grumble that came from behind you, panic twisted inside your belly.

“I don’t want any trouble.” You spoke out, trying to look out the corner of your eye without moving your head. Glancing down at the knife in your belt, you clinched your jaw.

Footsteps got louder behind you until you felt the stranger behind you, and that’s when you quickly grabbed for the blade, stopping when something hard pressed against the back of your skull.

“Don’t even try it.” He growled and leaned forward, a mud stained hand reaching to pull your only means of defending yourself away. “Get up.”

You closed your eyes for a second before doing as you were told, your legs shaky as you turned to look at the man who had snuck up on you. Messy strands of dark hair fell across his face, his lips pressed into a firm line as he held a crossbow to your chest. Lifting your hands, you gazed back at him as he studied you with narrowed eyes.

“What do you want?” You asked him, not able to read his expression as he shifted his weight in a way that reminded you of an animal.

“Nothin’.” He grunted. “This is my territory, you’re trespassin’. Lucky I ain’t killed ya yet for drinkin’ my water.”

“So, why haven’t you?” You asked, glowering back at him.

“Still might if ya make a wrong move.” He told you, keeping an arrow pointed at your heart. “That way.” He nodded, urging you forward.

You followed his instructions and walked from the river, your heart thudding so hard you thought it might break free as he followed behind you.

“You try to run and it’ll be the last thing ya do.” He told you, and you believed him.

Keeping quiet, you moved through the forest, every step tenser than the last. He could’ve shot you at any moment, and you expected him to, but when you made it to the other side of the forest without an arrow piercing through your back, you wondered what his plans were.

“I need to go somewhere.” You breathed, not wanting to drift too far from the direction of the Sanctuary. “Please, just let me go and you’ll never see me again.” Turning to glance at the man, you looked at him pleadingly.

“I know what ya are.” He grumbled, looking you over once and wrinkling his nose. “I know who ya belong to just by your scent. I ain’t stupid, your alpha is the one who took over Hilltop. Soon as ya tell me where he is, sooner I can put ya out of your misery.”

The threat was very real and you sniffed the air, trying to pinpoint his scent. Dirt, sweat, blood. He wasn’t alpha, but he wasn’t omega either. Had to be a beta, an asshole too.

“That’s not happening.” You bit back and stomped on with him hot on your heels.

He didn’t say anything and instead kept a few feet behind for another mile until the both of you were out of the forest and walking through a field. There was a farmhouse in the near distance and he led you straight towards it.

Stepping up onto the old wooden balcony of the abandoned house, you glared at the man as he moved in front of you to kick in the door. From this angle, you got a look at what he was wearing. Black biker vest that had wings designed into the back, and dark cargo pants. It seemed like he hated Negan, yet he was dressed like a Saviour and fit the part too.

Following him into the dusty building, the stench of death hit you and made your eyes water. The man made quick work of ransacking the kitchen, sweeping what was left in the cupboards into a bag. You watched him as he stabbed open a can of peaches with your knife, feeling your mouth water as he shook the contents into his mouth.

It was then that you spotted movement behind him. Your eyes widened as a walker stumbled out of the pantry.

“Watch out!” You yelled, and he turned just in time to shove the blade through its eyeball.

Yanking the knife free, the corpse collapsed to the floor in a heap and the man looked at you for a moment.

“Not even a thanks for saving your ass?” You raised a brow and he snorted, unimpressed by your question.

“Move.” He instructed you, and you walked back out into the heat.

“Where are you taking me?” You asked him, not remotely surprised when he didn’t answer.

Another hour passed as you walked with the stranger, fully losing your path to the Sanctuary altogether. You wouldn’t make it back to Negan, and he probably thought you were a traitor.

“Wait.” Reaching a hand out, the man grabbed your shoulder and stopped you in your tracks. Holding your breath, you instantly knew something was wrong as he looked around the vast green landscape.

“What is it?” You asked, then heard the sound of cars in the distance.

“Get down.” He ordered you, and crouched down into the grass with his crossbow. You quickly followed suit and followed his line of sight.

Six cars drove past in a row on the road up ahead, and your eyes widened when you caught a glimpse of the man in the last truck.

_Simon._

Looking at the stranger, and then back at the alpha who killed your people, your eyes darkened as you pointed through the grass.

“That’s Negan.”

It was a lie, but it was enough to get the crossbow wielding beta to yank you to your feet when the cars had passed and force you after them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you all liked the addition of our 'stranger', a.k.a Daryl Dixon as well as the interaction between Negan and Simon. As always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think by leaving a review!


	17. On The Edge

Pushing your way through the tall yellowed grass, you narrowed your eyes towards the lines of Saviours' cars that sped off into the horizon. The deathly expression on Cole's pale face when she told you Simon had been the one responsible for the destruction of your people was still fresh like a festering wound in the forefront of your mind.

"Keep goin'." The stranger grunted and glared at you through his hair, the crossbow still firmly grasped in his mud stained hands.

Doing what you were told without question, you moved out of the grass and stumbled onto the side of the dirt road. The sun hung low in the greying sky and the intense heat from it had faded some with the approaching rainclouds.

"Can I get my knife back?" You muttered, raising a brow at the man who glared back at you. That look alone was enough of an answer and you sighed. "I have nothing to gain by killing you if that's what you're so damn worried about."

"Don't care." He said as he escorted you to the other side of the road before heading down an embankment that kept you hidden from any other passing cars. "Shut up and keep goin' until I tell ya to stop."

For twenty-minutes you walked in silence, occasionally glancing at the stone-faced alpha who ignored you entirely. He didn't intimidate you like Negan did, he didn't have that usual dominant flare to him that many alphas carried in their scent. He didn't seem interested in you or even remotely affected by your heat. He was unlike any other alpha you had run into over the years, and you were relieved because if this stranger  _had_ taken a liking to your unique smell, you doubted you'd be walking alongside him so calmly.

The quiet yet tense journey gave you time to think. You tried to come up with ways on how you would break free from the stranger with enough time to kill Simon without taking an arrow to the back, but the only thoughts that clouded your mind were of Negan.

You missed him.

You needed him.

You  _craved_  him.

The heat inside you was showing no signs of dissipating. It burned in your veins like a fire, growing hotter and more unbearable the longer you went without his touch. And with no suppressants and no knot, you were afraid that you'd collapse again, and this time Negan wasn't around to save you.

Pressing your lips into a firm line, you inhaled a deep breath and tried to shake him from your mind, hoping your body would take the hint and give you a damn break.

"Get down." The stranger grunted suddenly and snatched your arm. Dragging you down to your knees when you reached the top of the embankment, your foot caught in the thick mud and you fell forward, landing face first against the ground with a hard thud.

"What the fuck..." You breathed after a moment, your brows furrowing in confusion and pain as you tried to push yourself up only to be held down by the man.

He lifted a finger to his lips and glared back at you, the silent threat in his beady eyes along with the movement of his fingers towards the knife in his belt enough of a warning for you to stop moving.

Muffled voices sounded in the near distance, and you tried to ignore the deep throbbing in your cheek long enough to hear what they were saying.

" _You think we should be doing this?_ "

" _Doing what, following Simon's orders?"_

" _Yeah. Negan warned his crazy ass before about breaking the rules and here he is again, doing the same shit."_

_"We do what we're told, James. No questions asked... you know how it works. If Negan finds out about Simon before the deed is done, we give his ass up in a heartbeat. But if Simon manages to pull this hunt off, we back him up and take Negan down like we said we would. You got a problem with that plan?"_

_"Nah, that sounds pretty damn good to me. As long as we get out this alive, I don't give a shit who's in charge."_

**Snap!**

Your heart skipped a beat and your blood ran cold when your knee slipped in the mud and broke a twig, the loud sound of it echoing through the forest. The stranger glanced at you before lifting his crossbow into position when the Saviours conversation stopped.

 _"That way."_ One of them whispered, and you clinched your jaw.

Their footsteps got louder and quicker, and then the alpha by your side leaped up and shot two arrows without pause.

Quickly following his lead, you stood up and blinked in disbelief as the two men fell to the ground.

"Holy shit." You mumbled, seeing pools of blood spill out from beneath them. They'd died before they even had the chance to aim their weapons, and that's when you realised you'd underestimated the man who had taken you hostage in his mission to murder your alpha.

"Who's Simon?" He asked you, not wasting time in moving forward to retrieve his arrows from the fresh corpses.

"Negan's right-hand man." You told him, watching on as he used your knife to slice through the temples of the Saviours who were planning to take Negan down. A slight satisfied smirk curved at your lips knowing you'd already helped in some way to sabotage Simon's plans, and you had done it without even having to lift a finger.

The alpha slid the arrows back into his crossbow and turned to storm towards you. He didn't question you about Simon again and instead glared into the distance.

"Negan got an outpost out here?"

You didn't answer. Not because you didn't want to, but because you didn't know and you didn't want to give away information too easily. If he thought you were setting him up, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you, that much you knew when looking at the bodies on the ground.

Snorting at your silence, he swung the crossbow over one shoulder and grabbed your elbow. Yanking you towards one of the corpses, he reached down and cut free strips of material from his shirt.

"What're you doing?" You asked, feeling your heart racing in your chest again when he stood up and spun you around.

Pulling your hands behind your back, he tied the torn material around your wrists tightly and knotted it.

"When I kill Negan, you ain't gonna do nothin' but watch." He explained and slid another strip of fabric over your chin, tugging it into your mouth and tying it behind your head.

A pang of dread settled in your belly like a heavy stone, weighing you down as the stranger pulled a gun from one of the corpses and tucked it into his belt alongside your knife. You hadn't expected him to tie you like this. You had to think and you had to think fast.

"Move." He instructed you and pushed a heavy hand between your shoulder blades.

Leading you through the forest, he took his time and tracked the footsteps of the Saviours far enough to where you both could see the roof of an old cabin in the distance. Pushing you down, he knelt behind overgrown bushes and peered through the leaves to see four more men heading inside the building.

You didn't recognise those men either, and for a moment you thought that Simon had gone off somewhere else until you heard his voice.

"Alright, get some rest. Tomorrow is gonna be a big day, and we're gonna need our energy when we go hunting." Strolling into view, the right-hand man stood with his hands on his hips. "You know the drill, you find her – you bring her to me and we finish this."

Hatred bubbled in your blood as you stared at the alpha from where you sat, the arrogant smirk on his face enough to make you want to jump up and run for him. But that was suicide, and it's exactly what he wanted.

Tears pricked your eyes and slid down the sides of your cheeks, something that the alpha by your side noticed instantly. He said nothing, but you knew he thought you were crying because you were losing your alpha. But that wasn't the case. You were crying because you were furious, because red-hot rage and grief were coursing through your body.

"I'll make it quick." He muttered. "We'll wait until it's dark. I'll kill them in their sleep, he won't feel a thing."

Oh, but you wanted him to feel  _everything_.

\---

"Woah, woah, woah. Pull the fuck over." Negan's eyes widened when he arrived at the broken gates that led into Charming. Reaching for the handle of his truck, he yanked the door open as Gavin pulled to a sudden halt.

"Jesus!" The lieutenant said. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know." The leader of the Sanctuary clinched his jaw and stepped down and out onto the hard ground, Lucille in his grasp. Strolling through the gates, he furrowed his brow at the stench of death that greeted him.

The lines of cars behind his truck stopped and Saviours stepped out after him, guns ready in their hands for any threat that might be lurking in the shadows.

The little town that he had made plans to provide for was silent, like a goddamn ghost town. He knew they were dead before he even rounded the corner to see the rows of bodies laying on the concrete. The stench gave it away, but he still clung onto that slither of hope that he might have been wrong. But his gut was always right.

Stopping in his tracks, the alpha stood and looked at the tragedy laid out in front of him. Gavin and Arat along with the army of Saviours he'd brought along followed and had the same reaction of disgust.

"Who would do this?" Arat mumbled, noticing the bodies of the small children laying alongside their parents.

"An inhumane piece of dogshit." Negan growled and moved forward, strolling towards the bodies to get a better look at how they were killed. Bullet holes in the backs of their heads. "This was calculated, whoever did this shit wanted a fucking reaction."

He walked past every one of them, his heavy gaze lingering on the kids who weren't old enough to even make enemies yet.

"We'll find them." He nodded with a scowl before lifting his eyes towards his people, glaring at them with a cold seriousness. "They'll be brought back to the Sanctuary and they'll die a painfully slow fucking death. I'll make damn sure of that."

"Negan!"

Turning his attention towards one of his men who stood over a body, he stiffened immediately.

"Is that... it looks like her."

Dropping Lucille to the ground, the alpha sprinted towards the Saviour and looked down at the woman on the ground. Her face was hidden beneath her long hair, and blood pooled out around her head in a red halo. She was small and her hands petite, just like his Alice. Kneeling down by her side, Negan gently turned the woman on her back and sighed with relief.

"It's not her." He looked her over carefully and laid her back down, being as gentle as he could, handling her as if she were still alive. "I want every last one of you searching every house in this place, see if anyone's still living."

"You heard the man, move!" Gavin instructed the Saviours and they all spread out, wasting no time in entering the surrounding houses, looking for survivors of this massacre.

"Sir, what if we find her?" Arat asked, moving to lift Lucille where she carried the bat towards Negan who stood to his feet again.

"You won't." He ran a palm over his beard and reached out to take his weapon from the lieutenant. "She's not here."

"How do you know?" Gavin asked.

"I just know." He ground out and turned from the bodies. Lifting Lucille up onto his broad shoulder, the alpha strode back towards the gate. His eyes darkened and his features grew hard. "Pile the bodies up and burn 'em or that fucking stench will lead a herd straight for us."

Heading towards his truck, the leader pulled open the door and stepped up inside to grab hold of the walkie-talkie in the glove-compartment.

"Charming is no longer in service." He ground out and closed his eyes for a second as he tried to keep his composure while sending the message out to the rest of his community. "Women and children were slaughtered like animals, their skulls blown out and their bodies left to rot in the sun. Whoever did this barbaric shit will suffer the consequences, and we as Saviours have a fucking responsibility to find these assholes and deliver one hell of a fucking punishment. This was a coward's move, because only a coward with no nut-sack resorts to killing kids... That being said, continue searching for Dwight, Sherry and Alice. If you have any updates, I want to know."

Tossing the walkie-talkie aside, Negan inhaled a deep breath and furrowed his brow when a familiar scent filled his chest. Stepping back outside, the alpha sniffed at the air and felt himself harden when a hint of Alice's heat wafted through the air. A low growl rumbled in his chest.

She  _had_  been here. Her scent was faded, and he could tell she had been gone for a while now, but as far as he knew – she was still alive. Glaring in the direction that her scent had trickled from, he licked his tongue along his lower lip.

"There wasn't anybody in those houses, Negan." Gavin called out and headed back towards the gate with Arat following behind. "I think everybody was led out into the centre when this happened."

Eyeing his lieutenants, Negan stepped back up into the truck and rolled the window down. When they stopped to look at their leader, they too turned their heads in confusion at the smell that circled them.

"You know what that is?" He asked.

"Omega." Arat said, glancing at Gavin before looking at Negan again.

"Bingo." The alpha smirked and pointed in the direction they had come from. "My omega was here, and if I'm picking up on her scent – she left this place alive. So, what do we do from here?"

"Follow that scent." Gavin said.

"That's exactly fuckingright." Negan leaned back in his seat and glared at the road ahead. "Get in thetruck. If she ran off on foot, she wouldn't have gotten far. I want her back before sunrise, I'm all out of fucking patience."


	18. In My Veins

You and the stranger sat side-by-side behind the line of trees that kept you both hidden from Saviour eyes, watching quietly for what seemed like hours as the sun dipped down low behind the horizon for the night. Blue skies were now dark and littered with stars, the one sign that let you know it was time.

Glancing at the alpha as he slowly stood to his feet, you caught a quick glimpse of a blade in his belt that you hadn't seen before now, the name ' _Daryl_ ' scratched into the metal. Was that his name, or did he have a habit of stealing other people's blades when killing them? You weren't sure, but Daryl was the name you would refer to him as from now on.

"Up." He instructed you in a low growl, reaching down to grab the front of your shirt where he pulled you to your feet roughly.

With your hands still bound behind your back and a strip of dirty cloth tied around your mouth, you were truly defenceless and alone. And you were fully aware that this could very well be your last night alive. Your life was in the hands of  _Daryl_ , at least until you found a way to get your hands free again.

Sliding firm fingers around your upper arm, the alpha's grip was bruising as he led you forward through the grass and towards the cabin where Simon and his Saviours were spending the night. Every step towards the old wooden building made your heart thump a little harder and you were sure if you got close enough, everyone inside would be able to hear it. Your palms were clammy and adrenaline pumped through your veins at the danger ahead, and omega instincts within you screamed for you to run.

Run.

 _Run_.

 **RUN**.

Halting to a stop, you glanced at Daryl who furrowed his brow and yanked you alongside him, not willing to put a pause on his mission for blood. Biting down on the cloth in your mouth, you inhaled a deep breath and reminded yourself why you were here.

This wasn't about you. This was about your people. This was about Cole. And it was also about Negan. Simon had caused enough destruction for one lifetime, he needed to die before he succeeded in his plans to knock Negan down from his rightful position of power over the Saviours.

Reluctantly moving forward, each footstep towards the front door of the old cabin that was used as an outpost for Simon's men was slow and careful. You didn't want to make a noise, and Daryl made sure you knew your role in all of this by pulling his knife free and pressing it under your chin firm enough that it stung.

"Stay put and ya might just make it out alive." He warned you, narrowing his beady brown eyes when you held your breath.

Glaring back at him, you didn't move a muscle until he pulled the knife down and away from your throat. It was then that he crouched down and turned the handle of the cabin door. You watched on quietly as he tugged the flimsy wood open enough to peer inside.

From this position, you would've easily been able to take out the crossbow wielding alpha if your hands weren't bound. Just one quick lunge for your blade in his belt, and you could've plunged it into the back of his neck. It would've been a quick death. Painless.

Blinking out of your dark thoughts when he turned to look up at you, he stood to his feet again and grabbed your arm, wasting no time in pulling you inside the cabin.

It was dark inside and eerily quiet, and every slow footstep was calculated as the both of you tried not to disturb the floorboards below. Pointing towards the first door on the left, Daryl led you into the small room that was being used as a bedroom.

Light from the fireplace on the far right flickered up the walls and along the floor, the crackling of the flames along with the snoring of sleeping men the only sounds to be heard. You looked around and stood still while Daryl stalked forward.

There were three Saviours in this room. Two sleeping in the single-beds by the window, and the other in a chair by the fireplace with his gun still seated in his lap.

Simon wasn't here.

Looking over your shoulder, dread crawled back inside your stomach at the very real prospect that he could walk in on this assassination at any second. Turning your attention back to Daryl, you witnessed him sliding his blade in the temple of one Saviour before quickly repeating the action with the other. Both were dead within seconds of each other before he moved on to the third, killing him too.

Three dead without a struggle.

You hoped it would continue like this.

Wiping his blood soaked blade on the shirt of the third man, Daryl made his way towards you again and led you back into the hall. There were two more rooms alongside each other before the hall led deeper into the cabin, and the alpha moved through them both. He managed to kill all seven of the others without so much as a peep from any of them. Still, there was no Simon.

Pressing his hand between your shoulder blades, Daryl moved with you through the cabin until the first sounds of voices could be heard from the den. And you froze at the familiar tone that talked from behind the last door.

"As soon as we get the rest of the Saviours on board with this plan, it's full steam ahead. Kill the King and the pawns will fall in line, that's how it works. You know it and so do I, it's all about timing at this point." Simon's voice was muffled from where he spoke in the other room, and your nerves were rattled at how close the bastard really was. "Now, I know this wasn't what any of us wanted. This certainly won't be a celebration, Negan has been a great force in helping build the Sanctuary into what it is today and he deserves some damn recognition for that feat. But this is where it ends. The big man has been making some terrible fucking decisions lately, I think we can all see that clearly. Charming being the prime example. He was going to funnel a share of  _our_  supplies to that community for nothing, he was going to provide those weak-minded individuals with the shit we work our asses off day and night for on a platter. I mean, Jesus! How low can you stoop?"

You gulped back the nerves in your throat and looked at Daryl who stood still, listening to Simon talk.

"He ain't here." He grunted, turning to glare at you through his hair. "You must wanna die."

Lunging forward, he twisted his hand in your shirt and lifted you up onto your tiptoes. Rage bubbled in his eyes as he looked at you.

"Negan gives out second and third chances to people who don't deserve it and when those people throw that shit back in our faces, he goes ahead and gives them fourth and fifth chances. Oceanside was one example, and he did it again with Charming." Simon continued, and you watched Daryl as he listened to the Saviour. "One chance, that's how it should be. And if you fuck it up, you die. Oceanside learned the hard way, I took their men and their boys and we haven't had an issue since. Charming on the other hand needed to be exterminated, women and small children do nothing for us as a community. Harsh, I know – but necessary. Negan's love for omega pussy blinded him from the truth, but I am an alpha who doesn't let pheromones get in the way of success. We hunt for Alice tomorrow, we kill her and we tell him we have the guy who did it here. When he shows up, I want a sniper out in the forest to take him out. Quick. No suffering. We all in agreement here?"

"Yes, sir." Came the replies of what sounded like three others.

"Hang on, you smell that?"

Your knees weakened instantly at the question from one of the men behind the door, and Daryl let his grip on your shirt slide.

"Is that..."

" **Omega**. She's here, move." Simon instructed and the sudden thunderous movement of footsteps sounded through the cabin.

You turned to run, but stumbled on the way and fell to the floorboards. Daryl threw his blade aside and yanked at his crossbow, quickly aiming it for the door as a Saviour yanked it open. You twisted and pulled at the cloth around your wrists and grunted, watching as an arrow shot forward and pierced the man's eye, killing him instantly.

"Fuck!" Simon roared. "We got company."

Gunshots rang through the building loudly, and Daryl leaped to the side and crouched out of sight, keeping himself near the door and ready for anyone who made the mistake of walking through.

You on the other hand crawled forward towards the fresh corpse of the Saviour, your eyes on the blade Daryl had tossed aside.

"You really are a cunning little whore, Alice!" Simon called out from the other room. "Brought yourself another alpha along for the show too, if I knew how much you craved a knot – I'd have fucked you bloody when Negan was gone. Guess there's still time for that as soon as we kill your partner out there."

Groaning as you grabbed the knife from behind, you positioned it between your wrists and began slicing at the cloth.

"Is she really worth dying over?" Simon called out to Daryl as you cut through the fabric and pulled the cloth from your mouth. "You can walk away now and we won't hunt you down."

Daryl remained silent and you looked over at him as he sat holding the crossbow, his brow furrowed in confusion at the situation.

"You should go." You nodded. "Negan isn't here."

"I'll go when I want to." He grumbled, still stubborn even when faced with death.

"Fine." Gripping his blade in your hand, you carefully backtracked through the cabin to the front door again. "I'll be outside, you sack of shit! You want me? Come and fucking get me." You shouted out as you stepped outside into the dark.

One of the Saviours in the cabin slowly shifted out into the hall with his gun drawn and noticed Alice outside.

"I got a shot." He muttered, turning to look at Simon only to see the other two Saviours in the den looking out of an open window where the alpha had escaped.

Another arrow flew through the air and sliced through the back of the skull of the gun-wielding Saviour and the other two men backed up. He gurgled and collapsed, a final breath escaping his lungs as the other two shuffled further away from the door in panic.

"Call for backup!" One of them shouted to the other.

"But what if Negan finds out..."

"I don't give a shit, we're gonna die here if you don't call for backup!"

Grabbing a walkie-talkie from the table in the centre of the room, one of the last remaining two Saviours ran for the wardrobe in the corner and locked himself inside.

"Westside cabin outpost, we're under attack. We need assistance immediately; the omega is here. She and another alpha are killing us, goddamn it."

The wardrobe door swung open and Daryl glared down at the man.

"Fuck." The Saviour whispered before being shot in the face at point-blank range.

 _"We hear you, we're on our way."_ Came the reply of Gavin.

Sighing, Daryl turned on his heel and stepped over the body of the other Saviour he had killed before heading out of the cabin and outside. It was quiet. The omega was gone and so was the Saviour who called himself Simon.

                                                                                              ---

You sprinted through the woods as fast as you could, not stopping to look over your shoulder. You knew he was after you, of course he was. Simon wouldn't want to risk letting you escape, he knew you'd run to Negan and he couldn't let that happen now that you knew exactly what he intended to do.

Dodging trees and jumping over fallen logs, your breaths were shallow and laboured as you kept moving forward in a direction that was unfamiliar to you. All forests came to an end eventually, that's what you told yourself.

_Bang!_

A bullet flew past your ear and you flinched with a yelp before switching directions and running to the left.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Each shot the alpha took, he missed and you were beginning to think there was a guardian angel looking out for you when the fifth shot ripped through the back of your knee. Screaming out in agony, you tumbled to the ground and rolled down a hill, hitting every rock and fallen branch on the way to the bottom.

Your already bruised face smacked off the ground again and you could feel blood pouring from your nose. Groaning out at the throbbing in your head along with the slicing agony in your knee, you shifted yourself onto your side and tried to pull yourself up. But your arms couldn't take your weight.

"I'll give you credit, for an omega – you definitely stand out from your weak kind. Killed all my men back there without us even noticing, that takes some amount of skill." Simon slowly made his way down the hill towards you, smirking at your failed attempts to get up and run. He had you right where he wanted you. "But this is where it stops, Alice. And before I help you leave this world, just know that killing your people made me  _so_ hard. I stroke one off every time I think about your friend begging for her pathetic life."

Turning around to face him, you cried out in anger and spat a mouthful of blood out at him. It spattered against his jeans and he stared long and hard at you before lifting his boot and kicking you square in the face with a deep grunt. Your head snapped back and your jaw rattled at the impact.

"Negan..." You choked out. "Negan is gonna kill... you."

"Negan won't do shit." He snorted as he stood above you, and used his fingers to unbuckle his belt from his jeans. "Negan's going to think that you ran off with that alpha you brought along. He'll never find you, because once I'm done here – I'm gonna tie you to a tree and let the dead eat the flesh from your bones."

Resting your head against the ground, something shiny caught your eye and you reached out for it. Daryl's blade. Curling your fingers around the handle, you tugged it towards you as Simon yanked his shifted them down his thighs and crawled down over you.

"I heard you like it deep, let's test it out." He grunted in your ear as he grabbed at your jeans and tried to yank them from your bruised and bloody body.

Screaming out, you lifted the knife and swung it back, growling out as it sliced his arm open.

"Ah, you fucking bitch." Punching you in the side of the face, the alpha turned you over onto your back and yanked the blade from your hand.

You fought so hard, but he was too strong.

"You want to play rough, let's play rough." Lifting the blade in the air, Simon growled out and brought the knife down hard. The metal punched through your abdomen and you gasped out at the pain that flooded through your body.

Your arms fell to your sides as he glared down at you.

This was it.

You'd lost.

Simon sighed with a smile as blood spilled from the wound and seeped into the ground.

"Just like that." He said and stood to his feet again, and watched. He wanted to see you die. Reaching for his erection, he began pleasuring himself at the sight of you when an arrow flew through the air and pierced him in the shoulder.

"Fuck!" He howled in agony and stumbled back, clutching at his arm when he spotted Daryl at the top of the hill. Turning on his heel, Negan's right-hand man ran for his life when another arrow shot through the air and hit him in the back of the thigh.

He tumbled forward and disappeared in the distance.

You couldn't move, your entire body was numb from the pain, numb from the blood loss. Instead you gazed up at the stars in the sky with teary eyes and focused on your breathing. But even that was becoming difficult.

Then a familiar face blocked the view of the sky.

"He gotcha good." Daryl muttered and pressed his hand against your stomach, seeing for himself the extent of the damage. "This is bad."

"Yeah." You gulped and blinked up at him. "I know."

The alpha clinched his jaw. He tried his best to stop the bleeding, but it kept seeping through his fingers.

Just then as silence fell between the both of you, a  _whistle_  sang from the distance. You furrowed your brows and thought it was just your imagination, but Daryl looked up. Then another whistle followed it and another and soon a chorus of them sounded through the forest.

"Negan." You breathed, a smile pulling at your lips.

"Yeah." Daryl grunted and stood to his feet again, reluctantly leaving you behind as he ran for safety without looking back.

                                                                                     ---

Strolling through the cabin, Negan's dark gaze swept over the bodies that lay dead in their beds from the attack. One of his Saviours had sounded an alarm, sounded frantic over the line when he pinned the blame on  _his_  omega and another alpha. His shoulders tensed at the thought, he didn't want to think about what he would do if that were the case.

"They're all dead." Gavin sighed. "This was a sneak attack, whoever did this knew exactly what they wanted."

"These are Simon's men." The leader of the Sanctuary muttered in a low voice, lifting his gloved hand to his jaw where he dragged his fingers through his salt and pepper scruff. "What were Simon's men doing all the way out here in the middle of fucking nowhere when I specifically told them to cover the Hilltop?"

Shaking his head, Gavin looked around and couldn't come up with a good enough answer.

"Simon must've had other ideas."

"Yeah." Negan pressed his lips into a firm line and nodded. "Find him, I wanna have a chat with that prick and see why he disobeyed direct orders  _again_. This is becoming a habit, one that I don't fucking like."

Gavin nodded and moved past the leader with his gun in his hand, when Arat ran up past him and into the cabin.

"Sir." She breathed, her eyes wide and filled with worry. "It's her."

Glaring back at his lieutenant, Negan's features hardened instantly at her expression and he strode after her back out into the night. An army of Saviours followed after him, armed and ready just as they always were.

Storming through the forest with Lucille propped up on his shoulder, Negan could smell her clearly. Her scent flowed through him like a drug and he growled deeply, the possessive need to reclaim what belonged to him throbbing within him when something else filled his lungs that caught him off guard.

 _Blood_.

"Where the fuck is she?" He boomed, marching after Arat who stopped at the top of a mossy hill.

He quickly strode behind her and halted at the top, glaring into the back of her head before he blinked down at the forest floor below.

There, laying limp in a pool of her own blood was his omega. All anger and pent up aggression slid from his broad shoulders and faded into sorrow.

His brow raised in quiet shock and his jaw fell open at the sight of you. Stumbling down the hill, he ran as fast as his legs would carry him before collapsing to his knees by your side. It was a bloodbath. The wound in your abdomen was deep and deliberate. Pressing his palm against your belly, he tried to keep as much pressure on it as he could while Saviours scrambled to get supplies to help.

"It's okay, darlin'." He whispered through his teeth as you blinked up at him, your face bruised and bloody almost to the point of being unrecognisable. "You're okay, sweetheart. I got you, I got ya."

Reaching his fingers up to gently cup your cheeks, you winced at the contact and whimpered. What appeared to be tears began to shine in the alpha's eyes as he gazed down at your broken body.

"Who did this?" He ground out deeply as he slid his hand through your hair, afraid to hurt you more than you already had been. "Tell me, sweetheart. Who did this."

Leaning in close when you parted her lips, he closed his eyes and listened.

"Sss... imon." You managed out, every letter painful to say.

The alpha opened his eyes again and stared at you with a kind of fury you'd never seen from him before. He looked absolutely terrifying and for a second you were afraid he didn't believe you, that he would blame you for this – and he sensed it.

"I'm gonna kill him." He growled, nodding as he slid an arm under your head and while using the other to curl up under your knees and lift you into his embrace.

You let out a choked sob at the agony of it.

"Negan..." You coughed, blood spilling from the corners of your mouth. "I'm dying, I'm-."

"No." He shook his head and pressed a kiss against your forehead. "I won't let that happen. I fucking can't."

You blinked up at your alpha in confusion and gasped when his hazel eyes glowed into a bright amber colour. Growling, he parted his lips and opened his mouth wide. You watched as his incisors grew into pointed fangs. Long and sharp, and it was then that you realised what he was about to do.

" _Oh_..." You whispered, feeling the life begin to slip from your chest.

Tugging your head to the side, Negan lowered his face into the crook of your neck. His beard, lips and teeth grazed your soft skin, almost tickling you gently before he let out a deep snarl. Then he sank his fangs into your throat, like knives slicing through hot butter. Easy and quick. Gasping out at the pain, you snatched a handful of his dark hair and whimpered out as his bite tore you open.

"Negan." You moaned and tears slid from the corners of your eyes as he drank down your blood like his life depended on it.

Weakening in his arms, your vision began to blur and your fingers slipped from his hair, falling to your side again. Sinking into the darkness, you went limp and your heartbeat stuttered. He reared back then and let out a growl. Blood stained his teeth and slid down his chin into his beard as he reached his hand up to his mouth and tore at his own skin.

Your heart had slowed to a deathly rhythm. In a few seconds it would stop entirely. He had to act quickly. Bringing his wrist to your mouth, Negan held the back of your head in the palm of his hand as he fed you his own blood. Unconscious, you didn't know what was happening. 

The alpha's blood slid along your tongue and down your throat, filling you. The Saviours stood watching the intimate act, silent and in awe as Negan bonded you to him through blood. The bruises on your face began fading, the bullet in your knee dropped to the ground and the fatal wound in your belly began to heal.

Hissing out at the feeling of his own essence filling you, Negan huffed out and panted as he felt you grow stronger and soon your heart began to pick up the pace again, beating in time with his own.

"Good girl." He choked out and pulled his wrist from your mouth before you dragged him under. The pleasure of being bonded for the first time was enough to make him want to ravage you where you lay, but he resisted the primal urge and instead knocking his head against yours. "Mine. All mine." He kissed your lips before looking up at the Saviours who stood awaiting orders.

"Well, I didn't expect this." Simon snorted as he limped towards Negan, Gavin right behind him with a gun aimed at the back of his head. "I guess you really did earn the title Saviour, boss." He said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Snarling, Negan gently lay you back down on the ground and grabbed Lucille. Standing to his feet, the six-foot-two leader of the Sanctuary strolled towards his  _former_  right-hand man. His eyes continued to burn bright, his fangs still on show and the Saviours around him fell to their knees in submission.

"Oh, I can't wait to make you pay for this twisted shit." Negan's lips curved into a sadistic grin as he moved in close to the alpha, never taking his eyes off him as he blinked away. "Killing you is  _way_  too fucking easy. You're gonna fucking suffer, you'll rot away in a cell for the rest of your life like the pathetic sack of shit you are." Swinging Lucille out, the leader grunted as the wood connected with Simon's knees, the sick cracking sound echoing through the forest along with his screams as he collapsed to the ground.

"Take him back to the Sanctuary." He instructed Gavin and glared down at him for a long moment before he  _felt_  you stir.

Turning around, Negan strode towards you as you propped yourself up on your elbows.

"What happened." You whispered and blinked up to see all of the Saviours.

"I'll explain it all later, little omega. Come on, let's get you back home. You need rest after this fucking shit, we all do." Negan mumbled softly and leaned down to help you to your feet.

You were unsteady and he could see and feel that you were overwhelmed by it all and so he handed Lucille to Arat before lifting you up into his arms.

Resting your head against his chest, you finally felt safe again in your alpha's arms as you closed your eyes and slipped into a dream. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading, I hoped you all liked this chapter! If you didn't know, this was heavily inspired by the song 'In My Veins' by Andrew Belle. Our alpha and omega are finally blood bonded, and I can't wait to post the next chapter that will be filled with goodness. 


	19. Mine Again

“ _Why’re you still here, I told you to go.”_

_Standing in the centre of a bedroom that was unfamiliar to you, an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of your stomach as you turned to see Negan laying in bed with a woman._

_“I’m staying.” He said, sitting shirtless with his back against the headboard while she lay on her side, refusing to face him. “We need to talk about this, you can’t just keep fucking shutting me out.”_

_You moved towards the bottom of the bed and eyed your alpha as he glanced at her, the frustration in his hazel eyes spreading to his mouth as he sighed heavily._

_This was another dream, one you couldn’t shake yourself free of._

_“What the fuck do you want from me?” She snapped and turned around to glare at him._

_Gulping, you stared at her and realised it was the same woman from the last dream you had of Negan. But this time she looked different. She looked sicker. The circles under her eyes were dark and sunken, her lips pale and cracked. Her head was wrapped in a silk scarf and her eyebrows as well as her eyelashes were gone. The disease had really taken its toll on her._

_“I’m so tired of this, Negan. Tired of pretending everything’s fine when it’s not, and I’m fucking sick of the way you look at me.”_

_His dark brow furrowed, confusion and anger flooding through him at her outburst._

_“The way I ** **look****  at you, are you fucking serious?” He asked, his tone razor-sharp as he sat forward to glare back at her. “I don’t look at you any differently than I did ten years ago, so what’s the fucking problem here?”_

_“Jesus, that is my goddamn problem.” She huffed and turned her back to him again, shaking her head. “You look at me like nothing’s changed, like we’re still the couple we were back then, like I’m not on death’s doorstep and it exhausts me.”_

_A silence fell between the couple and you pressed your lips into a firm line as Negan shifted closer to her and stroked his hand along her arm._

_“The way I feel about you has always been the same. We’re still us, cancer doesn’t change that. I’m here and I’m not fucking leaving, so you best just get used to it.”_

_“You need to move on.” She murmured, the hurt in her eyes as she stared at the window resonating deep within you. “I know about her, that woman you’ve been seeing behind my back.”_

_Negan tensed. “Lucille…”_

_“She’s pretty. You’ve always had a thing for brunettes, I never thought you’d chase a blonde.” She continued on as though they were having a normal conversation. “You should take her on a date, it’ll be good for you.”_

_“It’s – it’s not like that.” He sighed, guilt heavy in his voice and in his features._

_“I know, but it could be if you stop clinging onto false hope.” Turning around to face him again, Lucille reached her pale hand up to stroke at his troubled face. “I’m dying. There’s no future for us and I’ve accepted that, it’s time you do too.”_

_“Jesus fucking Christ, stop.” Grasping her fingers in his palm, the alpha pressed his lips into a firm line and shook his head. “I was in a rut and I needed to blow off some goddamn steam, I couldn’t do that shit to you because of what you’re going through so I found that girl in a bar. It meant nothing, I can’t even remember her fucking name it was that meaningless. I’m sorry, I really am. This… what we have, it’s all I want. You’re all I want, and you just need to get better so we can start over again.”_

_Lucille snatched her hand from him and sighed._

_“ ** **You****  need to stop. Didn’t you hear what I just said?” She glowered at him, tears in her eyes as she raised her voice. “I am going to die! I can feel this fucking disease eating away at me every day, my heats have stopped and you’re in rut and I can’t be your omega anymore. Our bond is fading away because I’m fading away, Negan.”_

_Tears slid down the sides of her sunken cheeks and the alpha leaned in and wrapped his arms around her frail frame. Pressing his face into the crook of her neck, he held her against his bare chest as she sobbed into him._

_He clinched his jaw and closed his eyes, the reality of the situation he had tried to fight back and ignore entirely hitting him square in the heart._

_“I can’t lose…” His deep voice cracked with emotion, the heartbreak within it as pure as it could get. “I can’t lose you, I can’t.” Reaching a hand up to hold the back of her head, the alpha rocked his dying wife in his arms until her sobbing faded into sniffling._

_You stood and watched the scene unfold and felt every bit of your alpha’s suffering. The heartache, the mourning, the guilt, the anger. It flooded you and overwhelmed you and suddenly everything went dark._

“You dreamt about her again.” Negan mumbled in that deep raspy voice that vibrated through your being like liquid cocaine. “Lucille.”

Jolting upright in bed, you clung to the bedsheets that smelled like him and stared back at the alpha as he stood at the foot of the bed, hair tousled and shirtless. He looked  _wild_. His eyes were darker than you remembered them to be, the unhinged look within them making your heart race a little faster.

The dream you had just experienced felt realer than the last you had of him, so much so that you could still smell the bedroom where you had stood watching them. But it occurred to you just then that Negan knew, and it baffled you.

“How did you know that?” You whispered, a puzzled look falling upon your face as you tried to remember how you had ended up here. The last memory that replayed itself over in your mind was one where you wandered aimlessly through the forest with a stranger. “How did I get back?”

Narrowing his steady gaze, Negan shifted himself around the bed until he was hovering over you. His presence was stronger than it had ever been, and you felt yourself leaning away from him as he crouched down to your level.

“The bond really wiped you the fuck out, sweetheart.” He reached his hand out and slid long fingers around your wrist, letting his calloused thumb graze your skin before guiding your fingertips towards your throat. “You feel that?”

Frowning when you touched the scarring on your neck, you blinked and in that fraction of a second remembered being held in his arms while you were dying. Tears pricked your eyes as you stroked at the fresh bitemark that would forever be a part of your body, a permanent reminder of your alpha’s claim over you.

“Oh.” A breath hitched in your throat as Simon’s sadistic grin flashed through your mind, the swift thrust of the blade in his grasp into your stomach making you flinch in bed. You could still taste the steel of it and quickly sat up on your knees, gagging. Tears fell against the mattress as you heaved and held your belly, still trapped in that terrifying moment.

“That a girl, let it out.” Negan told you and sat down on the mattress by your side where he stroked a warm hand against your back. His touch was electric, like a hot current running through your veins that calmed you down easily. “Your body’s been through fucking hell and back, it’s gonna take a second or two for you to adjust.”

Grasping at the material of your bloodied shirt, you yanked it up and over your head and inspected your stomach.

No scar from the knife-wound, but more importantly, no scars from the attack you’d endured years before. Your skin was flawless and smooth, so much so that you could hardly believe it.

“I don’t understand.” You breathed, shaking your head before lifting your heavy gaze towards Negan’s face again, feeling butterflies soar through you as he leaned in so close that his nose nearly brushed against yours. “How…”

“Oh, come on.” He whispered, his voice even raspier now as he stared deeply into your eyes. “Think, sweetheart. Let it come back to you, what did I do to you last night?”

_His alpha fangs sank into your throat like sharpened nails, and you cried out in desperation, limp in his possessive hold as he growled deeply into the deathly love bite. Blood spilled down the column of your neck, red and hot and pooling into your collarbone as he greedily swallowed down all that you had to offer and more. He was ending the life you once knew, and he was birthing you a new existence. One where you were tied to him, and he was tied to you._

_Forever._

Snapping out of the memory that was so vivid you could feel it, you inhaled a sharp breath and felt your heart flutter. The scar in your neck throbbed, and you instinctively pressed your thighs together, feeling a familiar warmth settle in your underwear. When you looked back at Negan, he was staring at you like he was an uncaged beast that had been starved. That hungry gaze of his both excited and terrified you. He was big and bad and ready to devour you.

“Blood bond.” You murmured, accepting the reality of the situation. “I can still taste it in my mouth.”

“That’s exactly right.” He rasped lowly and nodded as his lips curved into a wolfish smirk. “I wanted to make you mine somewhere more intimate, if I had it my way – I would’ve torn your throat open in this bed while I fucked you sore.”

You pulled your lower lip between your teeth at his revelation, unable to control how wet his words made you.

 _Your_ alpha.

 _His_  omega.

You were drawn to him like a moth to a light.

“But Simon fucking ruined that for me, he ruined it for both of us and for that I’m truly fucking sorry.” He continued, his features hardening when he mentioned the name of his former right-hand man. “I was blind when it came to that asshole, I should’ve seen it coming. That shit’s on me and it always will be, but it’s a mistake that’ll never fucking happen again.”

A feeling of disgust washed over you as you thought about the pathetic excuse of an alpha, and Negan felt it in the way your blood called to him.

“He was gonna rape me.” You blinked down at your hands, trying to rid the memory of him unbuckling his belt from your mind, but the clink of the metal still rung in your ears.

“It’s over, sweetheart.” Negan cupped your cheeks in his hands and forced you to look at him. The gentle scolding was firm enough to bring you out of that negative headspace. “Simon’s gonna get what he fucking deserves, that’s a promise I’m gonna deliver on. You can count on that. Either he rots in a shit-stained cell day in and day out until he fucking dies a miserable death, or I kill him with an audience. Sanctuary courtyard, brutal and necessary to show everyone else that what he did will never be tolerated. That’s a choice you get to make, Alice. It’s the least I can give you after what you’ve been through. What do you say?”

Gazing back into his hazel eyes, you knew exactly what you wanted.

“I want him dead.” You murmured, nodding. “Please.”

A sadistic smirk curved at Negan’s mouth at your request and he took a moment to truly look at you before nodding.

“Consider it done.” Gently stroking his fingers down your cheeks, he lowered his hands down the sides of your neck before resting them on your shoulders. “You need a good shower, you’re fucking filthy after being out there like a wild animal. You smell like…”

“Alpha.” You finished, looking over yourself at the dirt that clung to your skin. “Alpha that isn’t you.”

Negan’s features hardened.

“Yeah, we gotta fix that. Now.” Shifting himself to stand, you reached out and grabbed his hand before he had the chance to move. Glancing back at you, Negan’s brow furrowed at the fear that flooded your face.

“Don’t leave me.” You begged him, feeling your heart thump harder in your chest.

“Calm down, baby girl. I ain’t letting you out of my fucking sight, I got ya.” He reassured you and leaned in to press a kiss against your forehead, his beard grazing against your skin as he did so. “Come on, we’re gonna have our first bath together. Just you and me. Gonna scrub that stink off you, make you all sweet again.”

You took his hand without hesitation and let him pull you to unsteady feet. Wobbling, you fell against him and blinked up at the alpha as he smirked down at you. Wrapping a strong arm around your waist, he squeezed you hard enough to make your belly flutter and you instantly knew that this bath was more than just a cleaning session.

“You okay there?”

You nodded.

“You need me to carry you?” He asked, humour dancing in his eyes as he licked his tongue against the back of his teeth.

Feeling your cheeks burn, you frowned at the suggestion and took the first step towards the door.

“No, I can walk.” You were relieved that you were back in Negan’s possession, but you still had your pride and didn’t want to be viewed as a delicate flower who needed him. Even though you did in fact need him in this very moment.

“You sure?” He asked again, not letting his hold on your waist falter as he slowly moved alongside you.

“Positive.” You mumbled as you walked unsteadily, your legs feeling like rubber beneath you as you made it out into the corridor.

It was quiet. Very quiet.

The lights on either side of the corridor were dim and the room that once belonged to the wives was silent, a reminder to you that Negan had kept his word. But Frankie’s face still burned in the back of your mind, her smug smirk when she tried to ruin your life still managing to infuriate you even now.

Negan noticed you looking at the former harem and chuckled as he led you straight for those mahogany brown double doors.

“Wait.” You tried to continue down the corridor towards the bathroom you were familiar with, but Negan’s hand on you didn’t budge. “Why?”

“Calm the hell down, there ain’t no girls up here to piss you off anymore.” He explained and reached a hand out to yank the handle open, wasting no time in shoving the doors open and revealing to you the empty suite. “You made damn sure of that.”

The décor was still intact. The couches remained where you remembered them to be, the bar was still fully stocked and it still smelled like perfume and lotions. But no woman was to be seen, and you were relieved. Having Negan parade you in front of the former wives was not your idea of fun, even if it did break Frankie’s heart.

Folding your arms around your bare waist, you stepped further into the room before turning to look at your alpha.

“Why did you take me in here?” You asked, your eyes looking over his toned and tanned back as he locked the doors behind him.

“Because I can.” He turned to look you over, the hunger and arrogance in his gaze never fading for a moment.

You rolled your eyes at his answer and glared at him, a look that made him eye you carefully.

“Because the wives room has a bath in it big enough for two, and seeing how you’re walking like a little baby deer in stilettos it’s a damn better call than the shower.” He sighed and strolled towards you, his height advantage over you forcing you to look up at him. Leaning back slightly, the leader of the Sanctuary’s lips widened into a smile and he narrowed his eyes. “You got a problem with that, girl?”

“No.” You bit out, but you couldn’t lie to save your life. You did have a problem, one that was grating on your nerves the more you spent time in this room. Sighing, you looked around the room. “I can still smell them in here, did you fuck them while I was gone?”

Negan raised his brow at your bold question and a chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. But you didn’t see the funny side, there was a war of hormones and pheromones raging inside of you. Your heat. His blood that now coursed through your veins, the anger and the need and the frustration.

“Really?” He asked, amused by how agitated you were. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the alpha leaned in just enough to sniff your scent. “Jesus, still so jealous after I’ve bent over fucking backwards to show you that the only pussy for me is the one that’s between those legs.” He grumbled and slid his hand between your thighs, an unexpected and brazen move that made you flinch away from him. But he grabbed your sensitive throat in his other hand and held you still as he stroked his fingers against your jeans covered centre.

“Negan.” You whispered, both nervous and excited by being in his grasp again.

“See, I should be the one that’s pissed the fuck off.” He told you as he popped open the button and pulled down the zipper, making the material loose around your hips. “Because I can smell alpha on you that ain’t Simon, and that shit is fucking horrible. Like cat piss and dirt all rolled into one disgusting damn scent, and that shit just doesn’t fucking sit right with me. I know you’re in heat, baby – but were you really that easy to mount?”

Your eyes widened as you thought back and Daryl’s face flashed in your mind. The alpha with the crossbow, the alpha who had kidnapped you in the middle of nowhere and the alpha who ultimately saved you from Simon.

“What?!  _No_.” Shaking your head, you eyed your alpha and gasped as he dove his hand into your underwear and cupped your pussy.

“Mm, you fucking sure about that?” He asked, his tone dangerous as he twisted two fingers inside you.

Grasping his shoulders, you clawed at him and arched your back at the sudden penetration that was so good it hurt. Your already unstable knees buckled, and he snaked his arm around your waist again to hold you up.

“Oh my God!”

“As tight as I left you.” He leaned in and pressed a firm kiss against your parted lips, swallowing the moan that escaped you before pulling his slick fingers free and sucking them into his mouth.

Your belly dipped with arousal, the sight of him humming his approval at your taste almost enough to make you come right where you stood. This is what you needed. His possessiveness, his ability to make you melt instantly. He was a fucking asshole and you loved it.

Pulling his fingers from his mouth with a pop, he licked his tongue against his lower lip and smiled wickedly at you as he savoured the flavour. He was so handsome in this light, so masculine and deadly and you wanted him.

“Taste just as good too.” He rasped, his eyes dark and hard. “And here I thought you’d gone and let some low-life dog take what belongs to me.”

“I wouldn’t.” You murmured, standing still as he stroked his other hand against the bite-mark in your neck, paying careful attention to the fang marks that ached at his touch. “Negan, I would never –“

“Sssh, that’s enough now.” He interrupted your attempt to explain and reached for your hand, sliding his fingers through yours before tugging you towards the second door in the room. “I know you didn’t do anything stupid, but I just fucking adore that look of pure panic on your face when I tease you. It’s fucking adorable. I’m addicted to that shit.”

You followed after him, your gaze narrowing into the back of his head. But any annoyance you felt was replaced with awe when he led you into the spacious bathroom that you’d never seen before.

Letting your hand go, Negan strolled forward towards the large bath that stood in the centre of the room. It was white and really was big enough for two, maybe even three. Turning on the faucets, clear water streamed down into the tub and you watched as he added in a blue liquid that looked like bubble bath from where you stood.

“I led that alpha to Simon because I wanted to kill him myself.” You revealed the truth to Negan, not wanting to leave anything unsaid. “He thought Simon was you, and I played along until it all went south. He really wanted you dead and he wanted to kill me for leading him to the wrong man, but he didn’t. He saved me in that forest, if he hadn’t have shot Simon when he did – I would’ve been dead by the time you showed up.”

Staring back at you, Negan listened to your side of the story and his jaw noticeably tightened when you explained that another alpha that  _wasn’t_  him had saved you. That bothered him, it was undeniable.

“Strip.” He instructed you, pointing at the dirt stained jeans that hung low on your hips.

You did as you were told and pushed the material down your thighs, letting it pool around your ankles before stepping out of them. The air kissed your legs, and your skin broke out into goose bumps as a shiver rolled up the length of your spine.

“Thank you.” You hesitantly made your way towards the alpha who sat on the edge of the tub and dipped his hand into the bubbly water, making sure it was the perfect temperature. “For saving my life, I know how special a blood bond is. You didn’t have to do that.”

Negan looked at you through hooded eyes, and reached his hands out to grip onto your hips. Hooking his thumbs into the flimsy material of your underwear, he tugged it down and let the material flutter to the floor, leaving you utterly vulnerable.

“Oh, but I did have to do that.” He argued, his voice low and sincere. “I mean shit, what was the alternative? Let you just fucking bleed out and die in my arms in some twisted bullshit tragedy? Hell fucking no, I wasn’t nearly done with you yet to just let you go. You’re  _mine_ , and you always will be mine and this bond of ours cements that.” He paused and turned the faucets off when the tub was filled just right. “No more games, sweetheart. I saved you because I feel something for you that I haven’t felt in a  _long_  time, and I crave it like an addict. You make me weak and whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know yet – all I know is that I need to wash that fucking stink off you.”

Your heart swelled in your chest at how open he was being, and you couldn’t help but smile as he stood to his feet and towered over you again.

“In the tub.” He mumbled as he unbuckled the belts from his jeans.

You didn’t have to be told twice and shifted past his towering frame to climb over the side of the bath, the first touch of hot water against your skin felt amazing. Sighing, you sat down into the bubbly water that sloshed around you and closed your eyes.

“I needed this.” You whispered, just enjoying the warmth of it before you felt him climb in behind you.

Hugging your legs to your chest, the tension in your body faded when he reached out to slide his hands against your back. He was gentle as he wiped away the dirt from your skin. “I needed you.”

“You got me.” He rumbled and slid his hand around your front before easing you back against him. “Just relax, let me do the work.” He told you and kissed your shoulder as you leaned against his solid chest, feeling his hair tickle your skin and his erection pressing into your lower back.

Sucking your lower lip between your teeth, you turned to see him reach for a sponge and soap that rested on a side-table. He dunked them into the water between your legs and rubbed the soap into it until it was foaming, then he began to wash you. Starting with your shoulders, he gently massaged the sponge into your skin and worked his way down your arms and into your hands.

His breathing was all that you could hear as he slid the sponge against your chest, dipping it between your breasts and slowly dragging it over each one. Arching your back slightly, your insides tightened in on themselves as he used his thumb to stroke at your sensitive nipples, pinching them enough to evoke a moan from you.

Then he ran the sponge down your stomach, making sure to clean the dirt from your newly healed skin before he dunked the sponge down against your thighs. Your legs spread instinctively, giving him the access he needed. Your skin tingled when he stroked the sponge against your aching clit, and you reached out to grip his thighs that were on either side of you for support as he carefully and deliberately applied pressure and rubbed in circles.

“Negan…” You moaned out and arched back against him, huffing out an unsteady breath as he kissed at the mark on your neck, his beard grazing you as he did so. “Please…  _please_.”

“I love it when you beg, baby.” He rasped as his hand moved quicker, making the water splash up the sides of the bath.

Your legs shuddered and you whined and gasped for air as the first flickers of your orgasm approached. Grasping his wrist while he pleasured you, you fell over the edge before you were able to stop yourself. Bucking up, a cry escaped you and your vision burned bright as pleasure rocketed through your body like liquid ecstasy.

“There we go.” He grunted and let go of the sponge before pulling you back against him. “Let me feel you.” He growled and grasped his hard dick, positioning it at your entrance before thrusting up inside.

You let out a scream that echoed through the room and grabbed onto the sides of the bath for support as his dick stretched your tightening pussy open wide, the final flickers of your orgasm clamping down around him and making him snarl.

“Fuck, goddamn!” He huffed out a chuckle and reached around to squeeze your full breasts in his hands, loving the feel of them. “You feel fucking amazing all wrapped around my dick like this, come on. Ride it, take what you need.”

Gripping onto the bath, you did just that. Lifting yourself up and out of his lap, you peered between your legs and gazed at his hardened length that slick with you before sinking back down again. Rolling your head back, another moan pulled itself from your lips at how perfectly full you were. The heat inside you was at its peak, desperate to be quenched. Repeating your movements, it wasn’t long before you started a rhythm of bouncing up and down on your alpha’s thighs, taking him inside you deeper each time.

His deep groans of satisfaction spurred you on and your hands slipped from the sides of the bath to his knees instead, your fingers gripping onto him as you rode him reverse cowgirl. His hands roamed from your breasts down to your hips where he held onto you with a grip that was almost bruising, bringing you down harder against him with each downward thrust. Water and bubbles splashed over the edges of the bath, hitting the tiled floor noisily as you both concentrated on each other.

Your body was on fire, a delicious burning sensation that made you feel like you were on top of the world. And with his blood coursing through your veins, it made everything that more intimate as you felt each other’s pleasure through the bond. You were tied to him, both permanently and temporarily and you were in heaven.

His breaths were ragged and hot against your shoulder blade, his masculine growls against your skin making you mewl.

“I’m close…” You whimpered, your movements slowing as your knees trembled above him.

“Come here.” He hissed through his teeth and carefully turned you around in his lap to face him, his dick remaining embedded inside you as he did so. “Gonna knot you, sweetheart. Hold on to me.”

You fell forward against his chest and slid your arms around his neck, gripping him as he hooked a hand underneath your right knee and pulled it further up towards his torso to widen your legs until they were aching.

“I need you.” You whispered, gazing into his wild eyes as he thrust up inside you again from this new angle. “ _Ah_!”

“I know, baby.” He snarled and fucked up into you, his hands forcing you down so he could take you with no restraint. “Here it fucking comes.”

His swollen tip bumped against your cervix forcefully over and over again, the intense pleasure of being taken by your alpha almost too much to bare. Clawing at the back of his neck, you leaned in and kissed him roughly. Teeth clashed against teeth, and he growled into your mouth when you bit his lower lip until you tasted blood.

He snatched your throat then and fucked up into you one final time, his swollen knot stretching you open and popping inside. Your breath escaped you and you arched your back, rolling your head back as your orgasm ripped through you like white lightning. Negan howled out as he came in thick spurts inside you, coating your womb with all he had to offer. His eyes burned bright and his fangs grew larger and sharper as he sought out the bite mark in your throat. Sinking his fangs into you again, he drank down a mouthful of your blood before pulling back and kissing your chin. Blood stained your skin as he glared at your pleasure struck expression, loving seeing you in such a beautiful trance.

“Oh fuck…” You finally sighed as you came down from your high, slumping forward against your alpha in exhaustion.

Negan’s breaths slowed as he held you against him, stroking at your back with long fingers.

“Mm, now you smell just fucking right.” He smirked and kissed the top of your head, sniffing at you as he did so. “You okay, darling? I didn’t go too rough on you now, did I?”

“No.” You breathed and lifted your head to look up at him, startled by the blood that stained his lips and his eyes that were bright amber. The beast within him was on show, revealing itself to you in all his alpha glory.

“Don’t be afraid of me, omega.” He reassured you and stroked his thumb along your cheek, adoring that innocent glint in your eyes. “I won’t hurt you.”

Gulping back the fear in your throat, you nodded and leaned in to rest your face on his shoulder, letting him embrace you tightly.

You were back where you belonged, you were now irrevocably his now until the end of your existence and it felt right.

“Will you tell me about Lucille?” You murmured, stroking your fingers against his chest.

He let out a heavy sigh and for a moment you regretted asking him about the wife from his past.

“If you want me to.” He agreed. “But tonight let’s just focus on you, sweetheart. You need something to eat and some rest, I’ll have my people make you something good. Then we’ll talk.”

You nodded. “Okay.”

“Now, let’s wash that hair of yours. There’s some blood in there.” He mumbled.

Snorting, you peered down at your reddened strands of hair. “You’re a messy eater.”

“Can you fucking blame me?” He raised a brow, his smile widening into a grin. “You taste damn delicious.”

“I missed you.” You smiled.

He paused at how genuinely sweet your little admission was before leaning in to peck at your lips.

“I fucking missed you too.”

****A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and that it was worth the wait. It took me a while, but I'm glad I had the time today to post this. Thanks again for continuing to read this story!** **


	20. Kerosene Dreams

Laying back against the solid wooden headboard of Negan’s bed, you ran your thumb along your lower lip and stared out the Sanctuary’s old steel framed windows, watching as the last of the sun’s orange rays dipped down past the horizon for the night.

There was a strange calm that settled within you, one that felt entirely out of place after everything you had endured this week. It was almost as if you were stuck in a dream, and when you snapped out of it everything would go back to the way it was. But you weren’t stupid, you didn’t need to pinch yourself in order to figure out whether or not Simon had ruthlessly murdered all those innocent people or not. Of course, he had.

Charming was gone.

Cole and the others were dead, and the only evidence that they had ever existed was engraved in your mind with the rest of the ghosts of people you’d lost along the way. Any positive memories you had of that town were corrupted by blood and torture. All you could see when you thought about it were the faces of the children he killed.

Negan asked you what you wanted from him when it came to Simon, as if there was any other option for a child killing coward than death.

Simon deserved to die.

He _deserved_ every awful thing to happen to him.

You were so angry you could scream, but your body wouldn’t allow you to feel the full weight of it all, the calm humming of the blood in your veins reeling you in before you had the chance to spiral. Sighing, you blinked out of that dark headspace when the bedroom door clicked open.

 _Negan_.

You felt him before you saw him, and instantly felt at ease when he stepped into view with a plate in one hand.

His dark hair was still damp from the bath you both had shared, scraped back neatly against his head as he closed and locked the door behind him. Dressed in a plain white t-shirt that clung to his lean frame and grey jeans that hung low on his hips, the alpha’s smirk faded when he saw the faraway look in your features.

“Feelin’ okay?”

“I’m fine.” You palmed a hand through your damp locks of hair as the leader of the Saviours slowly strolled over to where you were. Glancing up at him, you could see the scepticism lingering in his eyes and sighed. “I keep thinking about all of this, all the death. I think this is my fault.”

The mattress dipped with Negan’s weight as he sat down by your feet and set the plate of food down on the bedside cabinet.

“That’s enough.” Negan gently scolded you and slid his fingers out to brush up against your leg, letting them rest on your bare knee. “There’s only one asshole at fault here and he’s sitting in a dark cell where he fucking belongs, him and the handful of other pathetic pieces of dogshit he got wrapped up in his plan to take over my territory. How the fuck were you supposed to know this was gonna happen? Don’t blame yourself for the actions of others, we both know it wasn’t your fault.”

You held his gaze for a moment, the pause between the two of you long enough for him to realise words weren’t enough to fix things.

“Alice.” He sighed deeply.

“I need him dead, Negan.” You breathed.

“I know.” He agreed, nodding at the finality in your voice. “I said I’d take care of it and I will, I’m a man of my word – you should know that by now.”

“He needs to die tomorrow, I can’t sleep or think straight knowing that _your_ right-hand man is sitting in a cell untouched while my people are rotting in the Virginia heat with bullets in the backs of their heads.” You were on edge, the bitterness you felt about the situation leaking into your voice. The way you snapped at him wasn’t intentional, and you instantly regretted it when his jaw visibly tightened.

Sucking in a breath, he gently squeezed your knee before reaching for the plate again. This time you looked over to see what he had brought you.

Steak. Pink and bloody. It looked as if it had been cut from a freshly slaughtered cow. A sight like that would normally make your stomach turn, but tonight you were so ravenous that you would eat anything.

“You want him dead tomorrow?” He asked you and handed you the plate. “That’s fucking fine by me, darlin’. I want everyone to see what happens when dickless worms try to take what belongs to me, I’ll make it nice and bloody just for you.” His lips curved into a sadistic smirk, that devilish look he mastered so well making your belly flutter.

The image of your alpha ripping his rival to shreds ignited something primal within you, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to be in the front row watching it all unfold. You could picture it now, Negan standing above Simon in all his blood-soaked glory.

“Bring me his heart.” You whispered, feeling your own sadism creep through the cracks. “ _Please_.”

His eyes darkened instantly and you could feel the sexual tension building to a peak. His shoulders tensed and he tickled his fingers up the inside of your leg, dragging them along your inner thigh until they brushed against your exposed pussy.

“You really know how to drive me fucking crazy.” He smirked when you rolled your head back, and sank two fingers inside your soaked heat, curling them up inside you at an angle that made your knees quiver before pulling them free. “Ah, look at _that_.”

His fingers were coated in your cream, glistening and wet. With eyes that were hooded with lust, you watched him suck them into his mouth and swallow the arousal you’d made. He groaned at the taste and you whimpered, feeling another surge of wetness gather between your legs at how filthy he was.

“Perfect.” He hummed and squeezed your thigh before smoothing a hand through his hair. “You gonna eat that steak or what? I went through a great deal of effort in getting some other asshole to prepare that for you.” He winked at you as if he hadn’t just set your body afire with lust, as if he hadn’t just slid his fingers inside you.

With your lips parted in mild shock, you blinked at him before glancing down at the food in hands. Blood spilled across the plate and you gulped, your mouth watering with hunger.

“Is it even cooked?” You asked, raising a brow as you tried to skim over the steamy encounter that lasted no more than ten seconds.

“A little bit.” He nodded, eyeing the steak before smirking at you. “The meat tastes better when it’s rare, it’s better for your body – gives you all that good stuff without burning the shit out of it. Eat up, you’ve had a rough week and need that protein.”

Gripping onto the fork and knife, you cut into the meat and wasted little time in shovelling it into your mouth. The first taste of it was tangy, the blood soaking against your tongue as you chewed it down. Negan watched you, enjoying the look of ecstasy on your face as you ate. It was the first real meal you’d had since being back and you were grateful for it.

“Is it good?” He asked, lifting his thumb up to wipe away the trail of blood that spilled from the side of your mouth.

Nodding, you gave as best a smile as you could with a mouth filled with steak, not pausing until every shred of the meat was gone.

“After tomorrow is over and done with, I have some serious shit to take care of.” He explained, running his fingers through the scruff of his growing beard. “There’s a community of pricks out there that took out one of my outposts, killed every last one of ‘em in their sleep like the dickless cowards they are.”

Looking up from the plate, you eyed Negan carefully and felt the wave of his anger wash over you. After what had _just_ happened with Charming, this took you completely off guard. It was like a punch in the gut.

“Negan…” You didn’t know what to say, and shook your head.

“Don’t worry about it, this is my problem.” He mumbled and stood to his feet again, taking the plate from you and setting it aside before sliding his calloused fingers around your wrist. Looking down at you, the alpha’s lips curved into a smirk as he gently tugged you to stand. “They have no fucking idea who the fuck they just crossed, but they’re gonna find out _real_ soon. I want you there when this shit goes down, I want you to see the fear in their eyes when they realise just how much they fucked up.”

His voice was low, the danger in it making your heart beat a little faster and you craved it.

“I’ll be there.” You smiled, and he grabbed your silk robe from the nearest bedpost and dressed you in it, tying the belt firmly at your waist to hide your naked form.

“Damn right.” He winked. “Now, how ‘bout we take a walk out to the garden and get some fresh air? It’s too damn hot up here and I wanna talk to you about Lucille.”

Gazing up into his eyes, you could see the hurt within them when he mentioned her name. Negan knew about the scars of your past, and now it was time he revealed to you the scars of his.

“Okay.” You nodded, and let him guide you to the bedroom door and out into the dimly lit hallway. An orange hue was cast down the grey walls, and the only sound through this entire upper section of the Sanctuary were the footsteps you both took towards the stairs.

You wanted to know about the mystery surrounding Negan’s wife, you wanted to know if there were truths to the lucid dreams you’d been having of the sickly woman. But on the other hand, your heart raced at the thought of Negan talking about something so personal. Of course you’d seen another side to him since he’d claimed you and bonded you to him, but you still knew nothing about his past, about who he was before all of _this_. It scared you, but it was a step in the right direction.

The Sanctuary was quiet, the normally hectic work posts were calm as a few handful of Saviours continued to work through the night. They bowed to their knees when they caught sight of Negan, the fear of his presence still very much instilled within them.

You kept close to him, trying to walk in time with his long strides and ignore the curious eyes that were glued on the pair of you. When you made it out into the courtyard, you let out the breath you had been holding in your lungs, and Negan snorted.

“You need to learn to walk with your head held high if you want them to start respecting you as more than my fuck buddy.” He explained and smirked at you, the dimples revealing themselves in his cheeks when you glared back at him.

“I’m not –“ Your brows furrowed, but he gripped your chin and stared into your eyes, cutting you off from spiralling into a full-blown rant.

“ _I_ know you’re not, so don’t even try and bite my fucking head off. You’re so much fucking more than what’s between those pretty legs – but _they_ don’t know that.” He told you, stroking your chin before letting you go and turning to stroll down the path that led to the garden. “You can start by stop being so goddamn shy around them, make them see you for who you really are.”

Staring into his back, you stood your ground for a few moments as he moved further and further away. Blinking down at your feet, you pressed your lips into a firm line and took a second to think over what he said before following after him.

“What I really am is an omega, they know that.” You sighed, looking over the beautifully planted flowers that had bloomed in the summer heat. Roses, sunflowers, lilies, peonies, lilacs and more.

Following the alpha deeper into the garden until the both of you were hidden from the Sanctuary’s looming presence, you stopped in your tracks when he sat down on a wooden bench and kicked his feet up onto a coffee table.

“You were an omega, now you’re bonded to me – you have my blood running through your veins now which means you have a higher-ranking status than every other prick in this place.” He looked you over, as if he were admiring his handiwork in the way your skin glowed in your post-bonded state. “The sooner you stop acting like you’re walking on eggshells the faster my people will accept you, trust me, sweetheart.”

Sucking your lower lip between your teeth, you didn’t know how you felt about this advice he was handing you, but you couldn’t deny the way your heart skipped a beat when he described you as being higher-ranking. That was an ego boost you enjoyed.

“We’ll see.” You smiled, and he licked his tongue against his teeth as he patted the space on the bench beside him.

“C’mere.”

You didn’t have to be told twice.

Strolling over towards him, you took a seat by the alpha and eyed him in the dark. The only light that was cast above the both of you were from the stars, not that you needed to see Negan. His presence was like the sun, burning and intense and unable to ignore even if you wanted to.

“Lucille was my first bond, my first _real_ blood bond. She was my omega and my wife and we were together for ten years before things took a turn.” He explained, the realness in his raspy voice enough to send shivers rolling through your body. There was a pause as he looked away for a second, sadness weighing heavily in his features as he thought back to his past like it was a lifetime ago. “I loved her before I even knew I was fucking capable of loving, and I took that shit for granted. I cheated on her, I was a selfish fuck who wanted the best of both worlds and it came crashing down on me like a tonne of fucking bricks.”

Another pause, and a heavy sigh. Blinking up at your face again, Negan clinched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, the Adam’s apple in his throat bobbing as he gulped back the strain in his throat. This was difficult for him. This was too real, too raw.

“She got sick.” He went on, and the dreams you had seen replayed in your mind of the woman in the hospital room, of the same woman in the bed. “It was my fault… I didn’t want kids ‘cause I didn’t want that responsibility when I was fucking around so she went on suppressants and after a while, they ruined her insides. When they found the cancer, she was riddled before they could do anything to reverse the damage.”

Tears pricked your eyes as you pictured her in your mind, frail and dying.

“She died in the hospital before I could get her home, I was there when she took her last breath and let me tell you… there is no pain greater in this world than feeling the blood bond you share with your omega be severed. It’s a physical pain, like someone reaching in your damn chest and ripping your heart out. I wouldn’t wish that shit on anybody.”

He looked at you and glanced down at the ground, losing himself in his thoughts again.

“I was there when she turned into one of those things.” His voice became more sinister then, the bitterness in it thick. “That was my first experience with the biters, and I was a fucking coward. I couldn’t put her out, so I had someone do it for me and that shit sits on my shoulders every fucking day. I should’ve been the one to end it, and I was weak.”

“That’s not weakness, Negan – you were grieving.” You shook your head and reached your hand out to stroke his face, but he flinched away from your touch and you gulped when he looked back at you. His eyes were hard and his mouth firm.

“I _was_ weak.” He repeated. “Lucille was my weakness, so I wrapped a bat in barbed wire and wielded that weakness to my advantage. I became fucking ruthless, I built an empire out of ash and I told myself I’d never be that weak ever again. I kill motherfuckers without blinking, I bash their skulls in without a care in the world, I became numb to the world around me. The bat was my strength, still is… but then you…” He straightened his posture and huffed out a sigh.

Feeling your stomach flip, you searched his features and swore they softened when he really gazed back at you. Tensing when he shifted closer and pressed his thumb against the bite mark in your throat, you flinched at the flicker of pain that soared through you. Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the scar, letting his lips linger there for a moment, his beard tickling your skin before he lifted his face until his mouth was a breath away from yours.

Opening his eyes again, a breath hitched in your throat as they burned bright amber in the dark.

“You’re making me weak again, Alice.” He ground out, frustration and rage bubbling within him as he revealed his truth to you. “This wasn’t part of my plan. I didn’t want to get attached to you the way I have.”

“It wasn’t part of mine either, but here we are.” You whispered, trying desperately to hold back the tears that wanted to slip down your cheeks.

“But here we are.” He repeated your words and pressed his lips against yours, kissing you so gently you barely felt it. “After the dust is settled on all this bullshit, I’m going to rebuild Charming. I’m gonna have my men make it perfect, and when it’s finished – it’s yours to do whatever the fuck you want to do with it.”

Feeling your chest cave in and your features crumple, you let out a sob and fell against him, letting him wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his nose into your hair. Breathing in your scent, Negan stroked his fingers through your locks and closed his eyes.

From the Sanctuary’s rooftop, three Saviours sat and watched the alpha with his omega.

Louise, Bethany and Sarah.

“Called it.” Bethany rolled her eyes and took a draw from her cigarette, flicking the ash over the balcony while Louise and Sarah sat with their legs dangling over the edge.

“She’s changing him.” Sarah smiled, leaning her chin against the railing as she watched them. “I think he really likes her, _look_.”

“Likes her?” Louise chuckled. “Honey, haven’t ya heard the news? He fed her his blood, he’s gotta have more than just a boner for her if he went to that level.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about no blood bond, what I wanna know is whether she can get him to give us more shit now they’re officially the _apocalyptic power couple_ of the new world.” Bethany muttered, sarcasm lacing her voice as she smirked down at Sarah who sighed.

“I really hope this turns out to be a good thing, for all of us. The Sanctuary needs to change, the way we live – it’s no life. Maybe this is what we need, maybe this is what he needed to see that for himself.”

Louise and Bethany remained silent, knowing that Sarah was right.

A change was coming, whether it was for the better or for the worse was still to be seen.

 


End file.
